The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

May 23, 1980

The Hockey News May 23, 1980

<div class="byline">BY DICK JOHNSTON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-01974/4291043-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Sauve played well in the second, fourth and fifth games of the series and couldn&rsquo;t be faulted for the final loss.</figcaption></div>BUFFALO&mdash;It&rsquo;s ironic that the Buffalo Sabres, who avoided serious injuries nearly all season, should be hit and really hit hard during the playoffs.Buffalo&rsquo;s elimination in the semifinals of Stanley Cup play by the New York Islanders can&rsquo;t be laid to injuries, of course, but injuries probably had something to do with the way the series turned out.The Islanders won the first three games, lost the next two, then clinched the series on home ice with a 5-2 win.The Islanders knew how to play against the Sabres and, for the most part, they played the rough, physical, close-checking game that kept Buffalo&rsquo;s big gunners from breaking loose.That is, the Islanders kept them in check most of the time; except for Gil Perreault in two games. Perreault scored three goals and assisted on a fourth in the 7-4 Buffalo victory on Islander ice after New York had won three straight.He scored the first two goals in the final game, after which the Islanders scored five straight, and he had one goal in a 7-4 Islander win. In fact, after the series was over, Perreault was tied with the Islanders&rsquo; Bryan Trottier for the playoff scoring lead with 21 pointsGil was tied with the Islanders&rsquo; Bob Bourne for second in goals, with 10 each. Bill Barber of Philadelphia had 11.The other two Buffalo gunners, however, Rick Martin and Danny Gare, didn&rsquo;t get a goal between them.In justice to Gare, however, the 56-goal scorer was one of the Sabre injured, even though he played in every game. He was hobbled by ailing ankles throughout and did not have his usual speed or strong shot.The Islanders knew how to play&hellip;and kept Buffalo&rsquo;s big gunners from breaking loose.There was more irony in the fact that the player who missed almost the entire six-game set was the Sabres&rsquo; ironman, Craig Ramsay.Ramsay, perhaps the best defensive forward in the league, had played in 561 consecutive regular-season games, the longest streak in the National Hockey League still going, plus 59 straight playoff games before suffering a broken left wrist in the first period of the second game against the Islanders.That same game, Rick Dudley, another good defensive forward and a strong man in front of the net offensively, suffered a pinched nerve in his neck. Dudley sat out the third game, played hurt in the fourth and fifth, then missed the finale.Ric Seiling, Perreault&rsquo;s usual right winger, suffered a badly-bruised right shoulder early in the fourth game. He missed most of the game but played the next two despite the miseries in his shoulder.Derek Smith, who scored two goals and assisted on two more in that 7-4 win in the fourth game, came up with a pulled muscle in his stomach and missed Game 5, when the Sabres blanked the Islanders, 2-0. He played in the final game.Gare was slashed and then hit by a shot on the left ankle in Game 1. In Game 2, his right ankle was bruised badly. After each game Danny had to apply ice to the right ankle, which had a bump the size of an egg on it after two of the games.Because of the injuries, however, Coach Scotty Bowman learned that some young players can do the job. Lindy Ruff, a defenseman drafted as an underage junior, played left wing after Ramsay was hurt and demonstrated he can be a big, rugged forward who knows how to check.Bobby Mongrain, in the American League most of the season, filled in well at center and Rob McClanahan from the U.S. Olympic team, did a good job at both wings.Don Edwards and Bob Sauve alternated in goal most of the season but Sauve came up so big in this series that Bowman used him in three straight games.Sauve was tremendous in the second game, which the Islanders won, 2-1, in double overtime. He did a fine job in Game 3, won by the Sabres 7-4, then he blanked the Islanders, 2-0, in Game 5. Sauve could not be faulted in the final in which the last Islander goal went into an empty net.After the final game, Bowman stated he definitely will give up coaching next season to concentrate on being general manager. Roger Neilson will coach. &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Injuries Killed Buffalo Sabres In Semis

<div class="byline">BY RICHARD FRIEDMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-01800/4291946-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="568" height="1115"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Nykoluk resigned from the Rangers when general manager Fred Shero wouldn&rsquo;t relinquish the head coaching job.</figcaption></div>NEW YORK&mdash;Mike Nykoluk is finally off the Rangers&rsquo; managerial merry-go-round.Two years after coming here from the Philadelphia Flyers as GM-coach Fred Shero&rsquo;s heir-apparent behind the bench, and a year after turning down a lucrative head-coaching offer from the Toronto Maple Leafs&mdash;again, with the understanding that he would be the Rangers&rsquo; next head coach&mdash;Nykoluk finally tendered his resignation as the Rangers&rsquo; assistant coach.He sought a settlement on the remaining three years of his contract, and planned to return to Toronto&mdash;but not to the Maple Leafs. Instead, he will join his brother Dan&rsquo;s construction company in Scarborough, Ont.&ldquo;It will be the first time I haven&rsquo;t been connected with hockey since I was five or six,&rdquo; said Nykoluk, 45, who became one of the first full-time assistant coaches with the Flyers in 1972.His resignation came at the end of a week in which conflicting reports surfaced about the Rangers&rsquo; coaching situation. According to one version in the New York Post&mdash;denied by Shero and by Madison Square Garden vice president Jack Krumpe&mdash;Garden boss Sonny Werblin almost fired Shero after the Flyers eliminated the Rangers in the quarterfinals.Nykoluk became odd-man-out here as a result of Shero&rsquo;s intention to coach next year, as well as Byzantine behind-the-scenes maneuvering in the front office.He has had personality conflicts with assistant general manager Mickey Keating, the man who has Werblin&rsquo;s ear. Werblin, in turn, would like to see Shero more involved as coach next year.His authority was undercut time and again by management and players alike. Andre Beaulieu was brought in as a second assistant coach in mid-season and to help run practices&mdash;Shero was rarely on the ice.As factions developed on the team, some players would go to Krumpe or Werblin&mdash;and above Nykoluk&rsquo;s head&mdash;to talk about the problems that transformed the Rangers into a club without motivation or pride, much to the consternation of their long-suffering fans.&ldquo;He wants to get out for awhile; he wants some time to think,&rdquo; said Shero. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re closer than brothers; I&rsquo;m not that close with anyone else.&rdquo;But in the same breath, Shero added: &ldquo;For a long time, I&rsquo;ve felt I had to get back on the ice. It&rsquo;s not good to delegate too much responsibility.&rdquo;In an interview with the New York Times, Shero sprinkled salt on Nykoluk&rsquo;s wounds.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve given him lots of chances,&rdquo; he said of his friend of a quarter-of-a-century. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve lost confidence in him.&rdquo;Nykoluk says he would turn down any offers that came his way at this time.&ldquo;I had my chance to coach last year, and I don&rsquo;t expect people to come around now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Naturally, I feel hurt that Freddie wants to coach again, but I&rsquo;m a grown man. I can get by.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to give the impression that I&rsquo;m mad, because I did enjoy the two years here. But I told some of the players at our last team party that I&rsquo;d be leaving hockey altogether. This is the thing that&rsquo;s right for me.&ldquo;I want this to be settled in a friendly way.&rdquo;All that remained for Nykoluk was a final meeting with Werblin, to finalize the terms of his departure.This past season, Nykoluk dealt with the players on a day-to-day basis, but with Shero running the team next year, Nykoluk has virtually no-place to go in the Rangers&rsquo; organization.&ldquo;Mike&rsquo;s gonna be a great loss,&rdquo; said Steve Vickers. &ldquo;And he must feel very hurt. He was promised a job, not given it, and a man&rsquo;s got to have some pride.&ldquo;I like Mike. I don&rsquo;t know if he liked me or not, but I respected him. He benched me a few times and that made me a better player.&rdquo;Added the Leafs&rsquo; Pat Hickey, who went to the Colorado Rockies in the blockbuster trade that brought Barry Beck to the Rangers: &ldquo;I&rsquo;d work my butt off for Mike, and he would for me. After all, the year that I played under him, the team went to the Stanley Cup Finals.&rdquo;Easy-going and personable, Nykoluk nevertheless was disturbed by what he saw as the bending of disciplinary rules on the club this year.&ldquo;Look at where the Flyers and Islanders are now,&rdquo; said Nykoluk. &ldquo;Al Arbour did things he knew he had to do, regardless of who the player was. He even sat down Bryan Trottier, the best player in the league.&rdquo;Nykoluk played his Junior hockey with the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Junior A Hockey Association. Under coach Turk Broda, the team won the Memorial Cup.He turned pro in 1955 with the WHL&rsquo;s Winnipeg Warriors, whose captain was Shero, then a 30-year-old defenseman. Keating also played defense on that team. Shero and Nykoluk later lost touch for a decade, meeting in the late Sixties in the American Hockey League playoffs, when Nykoluk was an All Star center for the Hershey Bears and Shero coached the Buffalo Bisons, a Ranger farm club.They were re-united by Flyers&rsquo; GM Keith Allen in 1972 for Shero&rsquo;s second year as coach there. During the next two seasons, the Flyers won the Stanley Cup.With his brother, Nykoluk plans to work on subcontracting jobs in the construction business, primarily storm-door and storm-windows. The work is not new to him; in his years at Hershey, Nykoluk was among the first of the Bears to stay in town during the off-season so that his children could attend school and be free of the constant uprooting that is a fact of life for minor-leaguers.Defenseman Larry Zeidel, who played with Nykoluk in Hershey before joining the Flyers, remembers Nykoluk fondly.&ldquo;People talk about violence in hockey today, but there was more violence in practice and training camp in those days in the AHL than there is on the ice in the NHL today. Mike didn&rsquo;t hesitate to go into the corners, and in those days you didn&rsquo;t have a job without a degree of intimidation.&rdquo;Now, all that is left for Nykoluk here is one more meeting and a few technicalities, and then he will take his one-dollar cigars&mdash;his trademark&mdash;and return to his birthplace.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m waiting to hear from Fred and Mr. Werblin,&rdquo; said Nykoluk, who has tried very hard to suppress his bitterness in recent months.Meanwhile, what is in store for the Rangers? Shero talks about the need for more &ldquo;abrasive&rdquo; players, and says his priorities are the acquisition of another experienced center and another tough defenseman. But the team&rsquo;s problems went deeper than that this past season&mdash;to players arriving late for practice and making quick getaways, to the over-use of the phrase &ldquo;mentally tired&rdquo; in&mdash;of all times&mdash;the season&rsquo;s homestretch, and to the void in leadership created by the departure of players like Hickey and Nick Fo-tiu.The hardest thing for Rangers fans to accept this past season&mdash;the team&rsquo;s 40th without a Stanley Cup&mdash;was that it was such a giant step backwards from 1979&rsquo;s trip to the finals. What they saw, they had seen before&mdash;a team that just didn&rsquo;t seem to care. And so the headline on the New York Times story that reported Nykoluk&rsquo;s resignation&mdash;&rdquo;Shero to Run A Tighter Ship for Rangers&rdquo;&mdash;will prove to be prophetic, or will be Shero&rsquo;s epitaph as coach here. The Rangers&rsquo; ship has been sinking for a long time. The water is somewhere around the level of the nostrils. &#9632;

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Nykoluk’s Ranger Waiting Game Over

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1719/4292857-1-eng-US/f0034-172.jpg" title="f0034-17" width="544" height="1895"></div> &#9632;

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Top Playoff Goal Scorers

<div class="byline">BY PAT CALABRIA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011029/4291240-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Duane Sutter wasn&rsquo;t with the Islanders at the beginning of the year, but now he&rsquo;s skating a regular shift for the club against Philadelphia in the finals. (Photo by Bruce Bennett)</figcaption></div>LONG ISLAND&mdash;As the 14,995 spectators in Nassau Coliseum throbbed in delight, as the players gripped one another in smothering hugs and as coach Al Arbour made one final peek at the scoreboard just to make sure, the Islanders took the Final step.Eight years, 11 months and four days after Bart Crashley became the first Islander selected in the expansion draft, the team gained a berth in the Stanley Cup final for the first time. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a long time coming,&rdquo; Bob Bourne said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been trying so hard for so long. Finally.&rdquo;The Islanders have their reputation for doing things the hard way. The semifinal series against the Buffalo Sabres only enhanced the reputation. After winning the first three games of the series, the Islanders lost two straight. Then, in the sixth game, The Sabres bolted to an early 2-0 lead.&ldquo;I was petrified,&rdquo; goalie Bill Smith said.But the Islanders rallied for a 52 victory and a meeting against the Philadelphia Flyers. Four times before, the Islanders have swooned in the semifinals. And in a season filled with turmoil and unrest, it seemed the Islanders would not even get that far in these playoffs.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s been a lot of aggravation,&rdquo; coach Al Arbour said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;ve come through it&hellip;you can&rsquo;t call that choking&rdquo;They did because of superior efforts from nearly every player&mdash;and because of Smith. He has won each of the team&rsquo;s 11 playoff victories. He had a stretch of 11 straight starts until he was rested following a 7-4 loss against Buffalo. Perhaps that was justice&mdash;Smith is only one of two players (along with Lome Henning) who is left over from the 1972 expansion draft.Those are not memorable times. The team won 12 games that first season, set a record for futility and earned the prefix hapless, as in the &ldquo;Hapless New York Islanders.&rdquo; Bobby Nystrom thought it necessary to interrupt the celebration in the dressing room to point out, &ldquo;Give us credit. We&rsquo;ve come a long way.&rdquo;How long? Well, forget about the past. Look at this season. The lineup was thinned by injuries to Denis Potvin, Anders Kallur, Nystrom, Bourne and Mike Bossy. It took the team 30 games into the regular season before it got its 11th victory&mdash;as many as it has in the playoffs. It was not until Jan. 15 that the Islanders climbed over .500 permanently.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s been a lot of aggravation,&rdquo; coach Al Arbour said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;ve come through it. I hope people will forget about this choke business. I think what we&rsquo;ve done this year, you can&rsquo;t call that choking.&rdquo;The season has been strange in many ways. There has been the largest turnover of players&mdash;31 this season&mdash;since the 32 used in the very first season. General manager Bill Torrey had to make a major trade to twist his team&rsquo;s season around. When the Islanders landed Butch Goring from Los Angeles on March 9, they quickly went on a 12-game inbeaten streak, just the kind of drive they needed before the playoffs.And they had Smith boiling hot. He started the first three games against the Sabres, won all three, and the Islanders were on the threshold of a shocking sweep. In the second period of the fourth game, the Islanders had a 3-1 lead. They let the game&mdash;and nearly the series&mdash;get away.The Sabres rallied for a 7-4 victory in that fourth game and then Bob Sauve shutout the Islanders 20 in the fifth game at Buffalo. The Islanders returned home, their confidence a little deflated and the series slipping away. Then Gil Perreault scored twice in the first seven minutes of the sixth game. The Islanders were rattled.&ldquo;One more goal and we&rsquo;d have been in trouble,&rdquo; Bourne said.But the Sabres never got another goal.Instead, John Tonelli scored on a clever assist from rookie Duane Sutter&mdash;who had not even begun the season with the Islanders. Then Bossy scored a power-play goal, tying the score. Bob Lorimer scored only the second playoff goal of his career for a 3-2 lead the Islanders took into the third period.With just 7:56 left in the game, Sutter scored for a 4-2 lead and Dave Langevin thought, &ldquo;What a relief.&rdquo; Bourne added an empty net, shorthanded goal and one minute left and the countdown began. So did the chants.&ldquo;Bill-ee, Bill-ee.&rdquo;&ldquo;Four more wins.&rdquo;&ldquo;Bring home the Cup.&rdquo;As the team entered the dressing room, Arbour stopped and thought for a moment. &ldquo;The only thing I can think of to say is that we finally did it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been through a lot this season, haven&rsquo;t we?&rdquo; &#9632;

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Islanders Overcome Sabres And “Choker’s” Reputation

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01701/4293642-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo by Bruce Bernett)</figcaption></div>BRYAN TROTTIER: SETTING HIS SIGHTS ON THE STANLEY CUPNYKOLUK RESIGNS FROM RANGERSMINOR, COLLEGE AWARDS ANNOUNCED &#9632;

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FLYERS. ISLES VIE FOR CUP

<div class="byline">BY BOB VERDI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011065/4290864-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="275" height="320"></div><h2>Nanne Most Vibrant GM</h2>News: Minnesota North Stars stun Montreal Canadiens in Stanley Cup quarterfinal playoff series.Views: Once upon a time, I suspect, there were a few snickers around the grand old National Hockey League when Lou Nanne was appointed general manager of the No Stars. The NHL, after all, is basically a fraternity opposed to change, and the idea of Nanne turning his skates in one day for an attache case the next day was, to many, shocking. Too much to learn, said the lodge, about this highly involved business of being a GM.Well, all Nanne did was take a crash course on the mechanics, work like hell, and put the NHL back on the map in the Twin Cities. Because he says what he. thinks, because he is running for a plane when others are counting sheep, because he happens to think that selling the games is as important as playing the games, Nanne is deemed somewhat of a rebel. Why else wouldn&rsquo;t he have long since been awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy for contribution to hockey in the United States?No matter. Nanne should wear all these tacit insults as a badge. He just happens to be the most vibrant executive in the sport. One other thing. Everybody thought that when the No Stars merged with the Cleveland Barons, he would have no excuse but to produce a competent team. People forget that two times zero is still zero.<h2>No Violence In Hockey?</h2>News: Boston Bruins and New York Islanders stage long, ugly brawl after a period ends in quarterfinal playoff game.Views: There is no such thing as violence in hockey, according to high NHL officials.News: Milwaukee Admirals withdraw from International Hockey League playoffs after being mugged in playoff game by Saginaw Gears.Views: There is no such thing as violence in hockey, according to high NHL officials.News: Buffalo coach Scotty Bowman is knocked out by the Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; Tiger Williams, who wielded his stick across Sabres&rsquo; bench during preliminary round playoff game at Vancouver.Views: There is no such thing as violence in hockey, according to high NHL officials.News: Ted Lindsay is named coach of Detroit Red Wings.Views: Some time ago, the slogan was &ldquo;Aggressive Hockey Is Back in Detroit.&rdquo; The statement has been amended to read, &ldquo;Regressive Hockey Is Back in Detroit.&rdquo; Whether Bobby Kromm got the shaft here is immaterial at the moment. If the players were in mutiny against him, what on earth are they going to do with Lindsay? He was one of the first to declare war on the underachievers. The mystery is why Lindsay, who doesn&rsquo;t need to stay in hockey to eat, would tolerate a demotion to coach and meddling with the operation of Red Wing operations by a new triumverate of general managers. If Lindsay lasts in this untenable situation, it will be the upset of upsets.<h2>Americans Underestimated</h2>News: United States Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks says he will take a job in Europe unless the NHL makes him a better offer by June 1.Views: For the NHL to let Brooks get away would be a heinous crime. I mean, everybody knows that the NHL won the gold medal at Lake Placid, not Brooks and his boys. But, still, there has to be a stagnant NHL franchise which could use Brooks&rsquo; acumen and ingenuity. One thing for sure. There are a lot of stagnant NHL franchises.News: U.S. Olympic Hockey graduates excel in late season games with NHL clubs.Views: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not surprised,&rdquo; said Sabre coach Bowman, having recovered from his technical knockout. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t give a damn what anybody says. The American hockey players are a lot better than people think and have been for some time. Have you ever gone to a game at the University of Wisconsin? Have you ever seen the way they play up there? The college players can skate, they pass the puck, there is as much hitting as there is in the NHL, and the place is packed. You can&rsquo;t get a ticket. The only thing that&rsquo;s missing is all the circus stuff that players get away with in the NHL. They have the right idea, in the end. Play the game the way it&rsquo;s meant to be played, and if somebody wants to fight, then he&rsquo;s out of that game, and the next one, too. It&rsquo;s the only way.&rdquo;Yeah, Scotty, but there&rsquo;s no such thing as violence in the NHL, remember?News: Stan Mikita retires from the Chicago Black Hawks.Views: Hockey will miss not only one of its all-time great players, but a character, a wit, a fellow who did much to put across the concept that an athlete can also be a person. &#9632;

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HOCKEY TALK

<div class="byline">BY PAT CALABRIA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011072/4290895-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Islanders qualified for the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in their history thanks largely to the goaltending of Billy Smith. The bellicose goalie played all but four periods during this year&rsquo;s playoffs.</figcaption></div>Two months ago, the Islanders looked like a team ripe for elimination in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Now they have a chance to win the Stanley Cup.The transformation was begun with the acquisition by Butch Goring&mdash;the kind of first-rate center the team had needed for years to reinforce the lopsided offense. Like dominoes tumbling into one another, the Islanders have all been affected by Goring&rsquo;s presence.First, it gave the team a legitimate center behind Bryan Trottier. Second, it freed Wayne Merrick from the responsibility of scoring and allowed him to concentrate on defense&mdash;where he does his best work. Third, it gave coach Al Arbour unprecedented freedom and flexibility in his offense.&ldquo;Getting Butch has allowed Al to move around 14 other guys,&rdquo; Bob Bourne said.In the semifinal victory over the Buffalo Sabres, for instance, Arbour used 28 line combinations in one game. Bourne can play all three forward positions. Garry Howatt can play either wing. Incredibly, every forward has played with every other forward.&ldquo;Every day I go to the practice and I say, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m going to pull the arm on the slot machine and see what line comes up today,&rdquo; Duane Sutter said.Goring&rsquo;s presence is just one factor in the Islanders&rsquo; surge into the Stanley Cup finals for the first time. The addition of defenseman Ken Morrow, cool, poised and dependable, allowed the Islanders to land Goring for Billy Harris and defenseman Dave Lewis. If Morrow had not come along so quickly, the Islanders could not have afforded to part with Lewis. So they would not have been able to get Goring.Even with the turnover in their defense&mdash;only three players left from last year&rsquo;s corps which played in the semifinals&mdash;there has been no noticeable thinning of the ranks. Stefan Persson and Dave Langevin have had excellent playoffs. Denis Potvin has readjusted his game to include more defense. Bob Lorimer has spouted into a first-rate player who scored the Isles&rsquo; winning goal in the decisive sixth game against Buffalo in the semis.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have to do as much as I once did,&rdquo; Potvin said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have to score goals. We have a lot of guys who can do that. I&rsquo;d just as soon skate into the neutral zone and give the puck to them. I&rsquo;m concentrating on positioning more. With the kind of talent we have now there&rsquo;s less pressure on me.&rdquo;Goalie Bill Smith, the last line of defense, is playing as well as he ever has. He held the mecu-rial Buffalo offense scoreless for over 106 minutes.He has allowed just one goal in 48 minutes of overtime, and he has played all but four periods during the playoffs&mdash;relieving Glenn Resch in the second period of the second game against Los Angeles in the first round and then watching from the sidelines as the Islanders lost the fifth game of the Buffalo series, 2-0, with Resch in the nets. But Smitty was back in goal for that crucial sixth game, leading the Isles to a 5-2 win over the Sabres and a berth in the finals.&ldquo;Sometimes you get lucky, and there are times when I&rsquo;ve been lucky,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;And the guys in front of me are playing real well. You have to give them credit.&rdquo;Another element of the Islanders&rsquo; resurgence has been the outstanding play of Bryan Trottier. He entered this year&rsquo;s playoffs having scored only five post-season goals. To the first-round opener against Los Angeles, Trottier scored three goals&mdash;including two shorthanded in one period for an NHL record.He has already set a club record for playoff points in one season (21, as he went into the finals) without sacrificing the defense and hard checking he is known for. Trottier, however, refused to be drawn into a comparison of this season to playoff failures of the past.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t let what people say bother me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If they think I didn&rsquo;t play well in other years, that&rsquo;s up to them. I don&rsquo;t have to answer to anybody. Not to the press. Not to the fans. There are only two people I have to answer to. One is Al Arbour. The other one is myself.&rdquo;Not even Arbour&rsquo;s constant shuffling of lines has appeared to distract Trottier. During most of the quarterfinal series against Boston he played without right wing Mike Bossy. Since Butch Goring joined the team and became the center for Clark Gillies, Trottier has played with an assortment of left wings&mdash;although Bob Bourne is now the regular in that slot.It may say something of Trottier as well as Bourne to note that Bourne has set a club playoff record with 10 goals in post-season play.Not only that, but the Islanders&rsquo; penalty killing has been superb. Entering the finals, the Isles had scored five shorthanded goals, one fewer than the NHL playoff record set last season. Although penalty-killing specialist Anders Kallur may be back during the finals, Lome Henning has proved to be a productive replacement, with two shorthanded goals and four assists.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the thing with us,&rdquo; Bob Bourne said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just one guy. It&rsquo;s all of us. Everyone feels he&rsquo;s as good as Bryan Trottier or Mike Bossy. And that&rsquo;s what you need.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Surging Islanders Seeking First Stanley Cup

<div class="byline">BY RILL FLEISCHMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-02919/4290926-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="964" height="1016"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bill Barber has been awesome for the Flyers in this year&rsquo;s playoffs. Going into the final round, the 27-year-old left wing led the NHL in playoff goals, with 11, and has scored two game-winners in the Flyers&rsquo; semifinal triumph over the Minnesota North Stars.</figcaption></div>They set an NHL record with a 35-game unbeaten streak and won the overall points title. But when the Stanley Cup playoffs began, the Philadelphia Flyers were relegated to the &ldquo;maybe&rdquo; category among Cup contenders. Many observers listed Montreal, Buffalo and Boston ahead of the Flyers as the top Cup challengers.Reasons for lack of confidence in the Flyers&rsquo; chances were as long as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s arms. Their goaltending was suspect&hellip;their defense was hurting and minus a dominating Larry Robinson or Dennis Potvin-type player&hellip;their power play resembled a Marx Brothers routine.Funny, isn&rsquo;t it, what a difference a few tough playoff series can do? Suddenly, goalies Phil Myre and Pete Preeters are playing like Bernie Parent and Ken Dryden, the defense&mdash;led by Bob Dailey, Jimmy Watson and Moose Dupont&mdash;is superb, and the power play has gone from Marx Brothers to Baryshnikov.The Flyers&mdash;the team people outside of Philadelphia love to hate&mdash;are in the Stanley Cup finals. And what makes it even more fun for hockey fans is&hellip;their opponent is the Islanders.The media covering the finals will get sick of travelling the New Jersey Turnpike, but customers at Nassau Coliseum and the Spectrum, plus television viewers, should enjoy the series matching two teams with similar styles.The Islanders were shaped after the Flyers&rsquo; were Stanley Cup champions of 1974 and &lsquo;75&mdash;an aggressive team that emphasized solid defense and a willingness to work like hell.These two teams like each other enough to play a charity softball game at Philadelphia&rsquo;s Veterans Stadium (the Islanders always win). But on the ice, they like each other about as much as Buffalo coach Scotty Bowman and Montreal managing director Irving Grundman.Only one playoff confrontation has been held between these two Patrick Division rivals&mdash;the classic 1975 semifinal that stretched to seven games after the Flyers had taken a 3-0 series lead. Philadelphia won the deciding game, thus preventing a city-wide nervous breakdown, but that semifinal converted the Islanders from a ridiculed expansion team into a quality contender.In the newly-designed 1980 Flyers, the Islanders will find another quality contender. From the goaltenders on out, coach Pat Quinn&rsquo;s club has been at the peak of its game in disposing of Edmonton, the New York Rangers and Minnesota.While the goaltending, defense, power play unit and penalty killers have been excellent, the player who has been skating at a personal peak is Bill Barber.The veteran left winger lived up to his All Star credentials by exploding for four goals in a 5-3 Flyer victory in Minnesota. Power play goals, shorthanded&hellip;you name it, Barber scored it. In the next game, a 3-2 victory that gave the Flyers a three games-to-one series lead, Barber scored twice. And in the fifth and final game, which propelled the Flyers into the finals against the Islanders, Barber scored two more times, lifting his total to eight goals in his last three games&mdash;nine for the series&mdash;and three of those were shorthanded scores. The nine goals tie teammate Reggie Leach&rsquo;s NHL record for most goals in one playoff series and the three shorthanders in one series put Barber in a niche all by himself in the NHL record books. Going into the final series against the Islanders, Barber was the Flyers&rsquo; leading playoff scorer, with 16 points (11 goals, five assists) and, along with Islanders&rsquo; Bryan Trottier, was a strong candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy&mdash;which goes each year to the outstanding performer in the playoffs.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never had a four-goal game and never had that many three goal-games,&rdquo; Barber said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not a Leach or Lafleur or Shutt. I&rsquo;m not a Linesman. I don&rsquo;t dominate a hockey game by any means.&rdquo;Oh? Try telling that to the North Stars, who in the series were victimized by two game-winning goals by Barber.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got the most talent of anyone on this team,&rdquo; said admiring mate Paul Holmgren of Barber. &ldquo;He can do anything.&rdquo;Another Philadelphia player who can do almost anything&mdash;except score goals like Barber&mdash;is Mel Bridgman. Not since his rookie season has Bridgman been a significant force in the playoffs, but in this, his first as Philadelphia&rsquo;s captain, he has kept both the Rangers&rsquo; Phil Esposito and the North Stars&rsquo; Bobby Smith from tormenting the Flyers.Look for Bridgman to accompany Bryan Trottier wherever the dangerous Islander center goes. Also look for a helluva series. The Montreal Canadiens can certainly rest assured that regardless of which team wins&hellip;the Stanley Cup will be in honorable hands. &#9632;

f0003-02

Flyers To Rely On Experience And Hard Work

<div class="byline">FRANK ORR&#x2019;S</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011123/4290957-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="324" height="346"></div><h2>Two Lads From Hamilton</h2>HAMILTON, ONT.! A much maligned town. Folks call it Buffalo-North. The lunch-pail and hard hat are part of the uniform. It&rsquo;s a steel town, the Pittsburgh of Canada.Although Hamilton never has had major league sports, except for the Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League, it has been a superb sports town at the local level, notably strong high school activities.Pat Quinn and Glen Sonmor are two men forged in the tradition of good Hamilton athletes, tough with no give-up in their bodies. Sonmor was an exceptional five-sport athlete as a youth, a fine hockey player and a good enough baseball pitcher to have pro potential. An eye injury ended his chance for a big league hockey career in his early 20s.Quinn is a good, tough Hamilton Irishman, the son of a fireman. He was no fancy Dan as a hockey player but he had a good National Hockey League career with several teams.Thus, when the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota North Stars met in the Stanley Cup semifinal, an interesting sidelight was provided by the fact that the coaches shared a background and there were assorted parallels in their lives.&ldquo;I like Glen Sonmor,&rdquo; said Flyers&rsquo; coach Pat Quinn. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a Hamilton guy all the way who has got where he is by hard work, just like people do in our town. Hamilton guys don&rsquo;t expect to get anything without paying the price for it.&rdquo;&ldquo;Hey: His name is Quinn and he&rsquo;s from Hamilton,&rdquo; said North Stars&rsquo; Sonmore. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s are the credentials a guy needs.&rdquo;Of course, Quinn and Sonmor would like to beat each other&rsquo;s brains out in this series, an important one for both men and their teams. For the Flyers, it was the chance to move back into the Stanley Cup throne room and prove that their remarkable season was no fluke. For the North Stars, playoff success gives their rebuilding program a large stamp of excellence.But for Quinn and Sonmor, there&rsquo;s a little more to it than that. They&rsquo;re two of hockey&rsquo;s noteworthy men, who had to scrap hard for everything they&rsquo;ve earned, notably college educations, and once, a long time ago, their lives touched and Quinn&rsquo;s was changed.<h2>Tough Path To Graduation</h2>QUINN HAS A bachelor&rsquo;s degree acquired in a scenic tour through seven different universities, a course here, a course there, as he drifted through pro hockey&rsquo;s hinterland.Sonmor has a master&rsquo;s in physical education, the result of plugging away at college studies in the offseason during his playing career.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a little funny now when our teams are playing each other but Glen did have an influence on my life when I was a teenager,&rdquo; Quinn said.&ldquo;I guess I was about 17 years old and I&rsquo;d played one season of junior A hockey with the old Hamilton TigerCubs. I&rsquo;d been a fair sort of student in high school and was undecided which way to go with my life.&ldquo;The hockey team changed coaches and the new guy, Eddie Bush, didn&rsquo;t want me on the team. I had a hockey scholarship offered me at Michigan Tech and was having trouble deciding what to do.&ldquo;Pinky Lewis, who was trainer for various Hamilton sports teams for a thousand years or so, told me to go to see Glen Sonmor, who was out of hockey then because of his injury and teaching at a high school in Hamilton, because Sonmor had combined sports and education.&ldquo;I went and talked with him and he was great. He advised me to go for the education, especially when I could combine it with hockey.&rdquo;Quinn did enroll at Michigan Tech but lost his scholarship on a technicality because he&rsquo;d played junior A hockey. But the seed was planted for a college degree.<h2>Mariucci The Motivator</h2>SONMOR CREDITS Johnny Mariucci, who&rsquo;s now on the staff of the North Stars, as being the big influence on him. Sonmore played junior hockey in Guelph and Brandon, then turned pro with the St. Paul Saints of the old U.S. League where the coach was Mariucci.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d blossomed as a hockey player in my late teens and as a result, I had my high school diploma before my life got jammed with hockey,&rdquo; Sonmore said.&ldquo;Johnny was coaching the St. Paul team after he&rsquo;d coached at the University of Minnesota and when he found out that I&rsquo;d finished high school&mdash;a rare thing for hockey players back then in the early &lsquo;50s&mdash;he just about dragged me to the U. of M. by the seat of the pants and got me started on parttime college studies.&ldquo;I was able to take courses in the spring term and a couple each summer. Then when I lost my eye and had to quit playing hockey, I went back to St. Paul to finish my college degree. Mariucci arranged for me to coach the U. of M. freshman hockey team.&rdquo;Sonmor was a high school teacher in Hamilton for a few years then returned to Minnesota as a hockey coach. He moved to the old Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association and, eventually, to the North Stars&rsquo; job in the &lsquo;78-&rsquo;79 season.Sonmor&rsquo;s assistant coach? You guessed it! Another Hamilton guy. Murray Oliver, who was a remarkable athlete with a chance for a pro career in both hockey and baseball.&ldquo;When I was a kid, Murray was the best athlete in town, one of my heroes,&rdquo; Quinn said.&ldquo;But, hell, he&rsquo;s a Hamilton guy so that&rsquo;s all you need to know.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0004-01

HOCKEY VIEWPOINT

<div class="byline">BY BUDDY O&#x2019;CONNOR</div>QUEBEC CITY&mdash;There&rsquo;s a strong possibility that the Quebec Nordiques could have a new coach for the 1980-81 season, their second in the National Hockey League.Last season&rsquo;s head coach, Jacques Demers, who still has over two years left on his present contract with the Quebec club, is certainly not a shoo-in to be given the nod to continue by the top administration in Quebec.There is definite evidence that Demers could be given his walking papers if general manager Maurice Filion&rsquo;s recent statements on the whole Nordiques&rsquo; organization can be taken as an indicator.Demers&rsquo; declaration that the club would have to make drastic changes for the coming season or he would quit his coaching post, has not sat well with GM Filion or with other brass. Following Demers&rsquo; outburst late in the season when the Nordiques lost all hope of entering the NHL playdowns due to a disastrous second half (only eight wins out of a possible 40), Filion had remained quiet but recently he did comment on Demers actions.&ldquo;Jacques&rsquo; outburst came as a shock to us,&rdquo; Filion said. &ldquo;It was so unexpected and it has really given us some problems. We have not forgotten about it. His attitude shook the organization.&rdquo;Though Filion would not directly discuss Demers&rsquo; future, he did state: &ldquo;We are weighing the problem, and the pros and cons of the situation. Jacques is under contract to us and he is still coach of the Nordiques. But between now and September, what will happen? That&rsquo;s a thing of the future. I cannot say what the outcome will be.&rdquo;Filion praised Demers work behind the Nordiques&rsquo; bench this season. He claimed that the coach&rsquo;s strategy was good and that he was an alert mentor.But he emphasized that the Nordiques would have to stop washing their dirty linen in public.&ldquo;Every team has its problems, some more difficult than others,&rdquo; Filion said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no two ways about it, from now on we&rsquo;ll solve our problems within the confines of the club. If there is news for the public, then we will call a. press conference.&rdquo;Filion believes that the Demers&rsquo; outburst was triggered by the extensive list of injuries which plagued the Nordiques. &ldquo;When a team loses there&rsquo;s hell to pay but this happens everywhere. We&rsquo;re going to try to calm the waters.&rdquo;But the complaints emanating from the players have not stopped, and the latest blast has come from Pierre Plante, a player that Filion has been trying for years to obtain and a guy that held high consideration in Filion&rsquo;s eyes.Plante, who came to the Nordiques in the expansion draft, scored only four goals all of last season with the Nordiques. After the season he termed the whole organization as the worst he has ever played with.And he did not drop the matter there. Plante went on to remark that Demers was only good enough to coach a bunch of cheerleaders and that his assistant, Andre Boud-rias, was a man that you had to watch out for, because he is a hypocrite.Distress signals at the Nordiques&rsquo; headquarters were once again flying after Plante&rsquo;s broadside. Would anyone bet on Plante&rsquo;s future with Quebec? It is crystal clear that he wants out and fast.Meanwhile Martin Madden, a Quebec city native with a world of hockey experience and sense, has been signed by the club and will probably become assistant to general manager Filion, freeing Gilles Leger for greater concentration with the club&rsquo;s young hopefuls.Madden has been with the Philadelphia Flyers organization in the past and has also had several posts with the Quebec Junior Remparts, among them coach and general manager.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021078/4291012-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="565" height="664"><figcaption class="caption-body">Although the Nordiques wish to keep their problems to themselves, Pierre Plante recently knocked the organization.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0004-02

Nordique Troubles Persist As Plante Delivers Blast

<div class="byline">KEN McKENZIE&#x2019;S</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-02756/4291095-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="309" height="340"></div>&bull; WERE THE FLYERS of Philadelphia simply playing possum down the back-stretch of the National Hockey League&rsquo;s regular season? Their less than impressive showing over the second-half of the schedule, including only a .500 record in their last 20 games, made many people wary of picking them to advance beyond the semifinal round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but the Flyers showed the form which brought them a 35-game unbeaten streak earlier in the year in going 11-2 through the first three rounds of the playoffs&hellip;Unassuming Bill Barber, of course, has been a major contributor for the Flyers. His nine goals in five games against Minnesota is a playoff record as is his three shorthanded goals in the series&hellip;Congratulations to American Hockey League president Jack Butterfield on his selection to Hockey&rsquo;s Hall of Fame. Jack has been a steadying influence on minor league hockey and the driving force behind the success of the AHL&hellip;How many 91-goal scorers don&rsquo;t make their league&rsquo;s All Star Teams? Not many, but one who missed out on All Star honors was Sherbrooke&rsquo;s Normand Aubin, an underage draft choice of Toronto who scored 91 goals but didn&rsquo;t make the Quebec Major Junior All Stars. Denis Cyr of Montreal and Aubin&rsquo;s teammate Brian Johnson were chosen as the first and second team right wingers ahead of Aubin&hellip;Although New York Rangers&rsquo; assistant coach Mike Nykoluk is said to be leaving hockey after resigning his post, it&rsquo;s pretty certain that he&rsquo;ll turn up in another NHL outpost before next year. He&rsquo;s been waiting very patiently in the wings for too long to not fulfill his ambition to be a head coach in the NHL&hellip;If Calgary becomes the seventh Canadian franchise in the NHL, they won&rsquo;t have to contend with the five-year wait for television revenues which faced Edmonton, Winnipeg and Quebec when they joined the league&hellip;Cornwall Royals have to be the most surprising team in junior hockey. No one gave them a chance to beat Sherbrooke for the Quebec title, but they did it and then beat the Peterborough Petes twice en route to the Memorial Cup.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03520/4291088-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="284" height="372"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jack Butterfield</figcaption></div>&bull; THE MAINE MARINERS gave it a valiant try but the American Hockey League&rsquo;s defending chapions were finally knocked out of the Calder Cup playoffs in the Northern Division final by the New Brunswick Hawks in six games. Maine won the AHL title their first two years in the league but after a season-long struggle between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, finished in third place. They upended Nova Scotia in the division semifinals, but New Brunswick proved too strong&hellip;Lou Nanne and the rest of the North Stars&rsquo; organization should be given credit for one of the quickest turnabouts in hockey history. In two years they have gone from last place to the Stanley Cup semifinals, mostly by building their club around a number of top-flight draft choices like Bobby Smith, Steve Payne, Steve Christoff, Curt Giles and Tom McCarthy&hellip;Harry Sinden insists that the Bruins haven&rsquo;t talked to Gerry Cheevers about coaching the club next year, although the GM says he has told Cheevers to consider coaching at some point (Cheevers, who turns 40 in December, hasn&rsquo;t indicated whether he&rsquo;ll play again next year&hellip;Washington people are up in arms over the lack of attention accorded 21-year-old rookie Capital Bengt Gustafsson. A fourth-round pick in 1978-79, Gustafsson finished fourth among all rookies with 60 points and was to have been a priority pick of the Edmonton Oilers, along with Wayne Gretzky, before an NHL ruling turned him over to the Caps&hellip;Washington was also pleased with the play of a youngster who finished second to Gretzky in the WHA Rookie of the Year balloting the previous season. That would be Mike Gartner, who collected 36 goals this season, a figure surpassed by only one first-year NHLr&mdash;Wayne Gretzky&hellip;Salt Lake&rsquo;s Doug Palazzari became the first winner of the Central League&rsquo;s Phil Esposito Trophy after leading the league in goals, assists and points for the second year in a row. Esposito scored 80 points in 43 Central League games for the St. Louis Braves in the 1964-64 season. He&rsquo;s added more than 700 in the NHL since that time.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-04343/4291081-1-eng-US/f0005-042.jpg" title="f0005-04" width="267" height="415"><figcaption class="caption-body">Lou Nanne</figcaption></div>&bull; HOCKEY IN FLORIDA took a giant step forward when the first intercollegiate hockey game between representatives of colleges native to the state of Florida was played in late April in Fort Lauderdale. Broward Community College edged the Florida Atlantic Ice Hockey Club 3-2 at the Sunrise Ice Skating Center in the historic first meeting in Florida. Hockey officials there hope it will be a start towards encouraging the formation of similar clubs at four other colleges and universities in the area and the establishment of a South Florida college club league&hellip;In Czechoslovakia, meanwhile, there was a changing of the guard of sorts when Brno, a team nearly as successful in Czechoslovakia as the Montreal Canadiens have been in the NHL, was relegated to the second division for the first time in 32 years. Brno, which has supplied many players for the national team, has been champions of Division I on 11 occasions&hellip;Kladno finished first among the Czechs this season&hellip;John Tonelli, the Islanders&rsquo; rugged winger has played probably the best hockey of his pro career during this year&rsquo;s playoffs. In addition to his rugged checking and physical play, Tonelli was among the team&rsquo;s leaders in scoring, which removes a lot of pressure from the club&rsquo;s big line. He was drafted by the Isles in 1977 after two years with the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association. Tonelli played a third season in Houston before joining the Islanders for the 1978-79 season&hellip;It&rsquo;s a pretty safe bet to say that the eight goaltenders who took part in the Stanley Cup semifinals were perhaps the strongest field ever assembled in one playoff&mdash;and most of them were at the peak of their game for the post-seaon action. They include Don Edwards, Bob Sauve (Buffalo); Billy Smith, Chico Resch (Islanders); Gilles Meloche, Gary Edwards (Minnesota); and Pete Peeters, Phil Myre (Philadelphia). That&rsquo;s a pretty talented field&hellip;Though they don&rsquo;t get the press clippings of their mates at the forward position, ex-Olympians Ken Morrow of the Islanders and Mike Ramsey of the Sabres have fit in well on their team&rsquo;s bluelines.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-05221/4291074-1-eng-US/f0005-052.jpg" title="f0005-05" width="284" height="344"><figcaption class="caption-body">John Tonelli</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0005-02

PASSING THE PUCK

<div class="byline">BY TOM MURRAY</div>As we went to press with this issue, the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Islanders were about to faceoff against each other in the Stanley Cup finals. Here are game-by-game summaries of the Flyers&rsquo; semifinal victory over the Minnesota North Stars and the Islanders&rsquo; semifinal triumph over the Buffalo Sabres.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011154/4291140-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="578" height="141"><figcaption class="caption-body">PHILADELPHIA vs MINNESOTA</figcaption></div>Game 1: Just two days after they knocked the Montreal Canadiens out of the playoffs, the Minnesota North Stars roared into Philadelphia, where they defeated the Flyers 6-5 to open the semifinal series.The Stars jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period, thanks to two goals by Steve Christoff (his seventh and eighth of the playoffs) and Paul Shmyr. Al Hill got the lone tally for the Flyers.The Flyers, undaunted, rallied strongly, scoring three goals in less than two minutes (two by Ken Linseman, one by Tom Gorence) to close out the first period with a 4-3 lead.Minnesota coach Glen Sonmor changed goalies for the start of the second period, replacing the exhausted Gilles Meloche with Gary Edwards. The Stars got two goals for Edwards in the second period to regain the lead (by Mike Eaves and Steve Payne), added another in the third period by Payne, and then withstood a ferocious Philadelphia rally which produced just one goal&mdash;by Paul Holmgren.Game 2: Flyers coach Pat Quinn replaced goalie Pete Peeters&mdash;who had played in six consecutive playoff games&mdash;with Phil Myre and the result was an overwhelming 7-0 victory for Philadelphia.The lopsided victory was due in large part to the Flyers&rsquo; power play, which had been practically non-existent up until this game. But the Flyers scored four power play goals on the four chances they had and they added a shorthanded score just to rub it in a little.The game was pretty much all over after Paul Holmgren and Bill Barber provided Philly with, respectively, a power play goal and a shorthanded goal for a 2-0 lead. Three more goals in the second period (by Bobby Clarke, Bob Dailey and Brian Propp) and two in the third (Al Hill and Reg Leach) put the icing on the cake and sent the series back to Minne-sota knotted at one game apiece.Game 3: Four goals by Bill Barber provided the Flyers with just about all they needed to defeat the Stars 5-3 and take a 2-1 lead in this series.Barber opened the scoring at 15:15 of the first period and added his second goal just two minutes later when he flipped a pass from Bobby Clarke over Gilles Meloche.Mel Bridgman got the third Flyers&rsquo; goal early in the second period and Barber potted his third just five minutes after that. When the Stars&rsquo; Curt Giles was subsequently assessed a two-minute penalty, the game looked like a piece of cake for the Flyers.But the Flyers got sloppy on that power play, allowing the North Stars to score two shorthanded goals on the same power play. Tom Younghans got the first goal for Minnesota, ending Flyer goalie Phil Myre&rsquo;s shutout streak at 161 minutes, 19 seconds. Then Tim Young got Minnesota&rsquo;s second goal less than one minute later on a beautiful set-up by Tom McCarthy.At 17:27 of the second period, McCarthy brought Minnesota to within one goal, putting a rebound behind Phil Myre and igniting the partisan crowd into a frenzied state.But the North Stars&rsquo; dreams of a come-from-behind victory came crashing down at 16:34 of the third, when the Stars&mdash;on a power play&mdash;allowed Barber to pick up a loose puck at center ice and score his fourth goal, and second shorthanded tally, of the game.Game 4: The Minnesota North Stars had 12 power play opportunities in this game and they failed to convert one of them, as the Flyers defeated the Stars 3-2 and returned to Philadelphia for Game 5 with a 3-1 lead.The Flyers drew 14 of the 21 penalties assessed in the game, but they also got two goals from Bill Barber and another from Reggie Leach&mdash;just enough to defeat the Stars.Tom McCarthy opened the scoring of the game at 13:18 of the first period, but Leach tied it up for the Flyers just three and a half minutes later. Barber got his first goal of the game&mdash;and eighth of the playoffs&mdash;at 13:54 of the second period, when Minnesota defenseman Brad Maxwell, attempting to clear away a loose puck from in front of his crease, deflected it off goalie Gary Edwards&rsquo; skate and into the net. Barber received credit for the goal because he was the last Flyer to touch the puck before Maxwell&rsquo;s blunder.Barber got his second goal of the game and sixth in the last two contests at 2:43 of the third period. It stood up as the game winner when the North Stars were unable to come any &lsquo;closer after Mike Polich gave the Stars their second goal at 13:56 of the third.Game 5: The North Stars scored the first goal of the game&mdash;Craig Hartsburg beat Philly goalie Phil Myre just 44 seconds into the first period&mdash;but the Flyers ultimately had the last word, winning the game 7-3 and advancing to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1976, when they lost to the Montreal Canadiens.The Flyers&rsquo; Rick MacLeish quickly evened things up for the Flyers, beating goalie Gary Edwards at the 2:23 mark. Bill Barber extended his torrid scoring streak at 6:26, potting his 10th goal of the playoffs, a shorthanded score, to give the Flyers the lead. Reg Leach added another goal before Al MacAdam brought the North Stars to within one when he scored at 17:11. But Flyer defenseman Bob Dailey squashed any hopes of a North Star comeback when he beat Edwards with just 32 seconds remaining in the period.Minnesota coach Glen Sonmor switched goalies for the start of the second period, replacing Edwards with Gilles Meloche, but it didn&rsquo;t help. The Flyers put two more goals on the board (by Leach and Barber) before Minnesota&rsquo;s Rob Flockhart found the net at 14:43. By that time, it was too late to do anything, but the Flyers&rsquo; Bobby Clarke added another goal at 16:19 just to make sure Minnesota got the message.Barber&rsquo;s two goals in this game gave him nine for the series, which tied him with teammate Reggie Leach for the NHL record for goals scored in a series. His three shorthanded playoff goals equalled the playoff record set by the Boston Bruins&rsquo; Derek Sanderson, although all of Barber&rsquo;s shorthanded goals came in the same series&mdash;against Minnesota&mdash;which puts him in class by himself in the NHL record books.Finally, Barber&rsquo;s three points in this game (he got an assist, too) gave him 12 points for the series, breaking the old Flyer record of 10.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03585/4291133-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="527" height="147"><figcaption class="caption-body">BUFFALO vs ISLANDERS</figcaption></div>Game 1: Buffalo&rsquo;s Rick Dudley scored the first goal of this series at 5:23 of the first period, but the Islanders rallied with four unanswered goals to defeat the Sabres 4 1 and take a 1-0 lead in the series.Bob Bourne got the New Yorkers on the board at the 13:09 mark when he got in behind defenseman Jim Schoenfeld and beat goalie Don Edwards. Then, at 17:42 of the same period, Mike Bossy intercepted an errant pass from the usually impeccable Bill Hajt and put the Isles ahead to stay.John Tonelli added two more goals in the second and third periods for the Islanders, giving him six in 10 playoff games and helping his team to its ninth consecutive playoff victory over Buffalo.Game 2: Bob Nystrom&rsquo;s goal one minute and 20 seconds into the second overtime period gave the Islanders a 2-1 victory over the Sabres and a 2-0 lead in the series as it returned to Long Island for Games 3 and 4.After a scoreless first period, the Islanders&rsquo; Butch Goring broke the ice at the 15:02 mark of the second when his shot bounced off defenseman Schoenfeld, barely eluded the desperate lunge of goalie Bob Sauve, and trickled into the net.It looked for awhile that Goring&rsquo;s goal would stand up as the winner, but the Sabres&rsquo; Andre Savard got the equalizer at 11:47 of the third, banging his own rebound past Billy Smith.The score stood at 1-1 until Nystrom&rsquo;s shot finally found the net at 12.10 A.M.&mdash;four hours and 10 minutes after the opening faceoff.Game 3: The Islanders jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Mike Bossy and Wayne Merrick, saw that lead dissolve into a 2-2 tie after goals by Buffalo&rsquo;s Tony McKegney and Gil Perreault, and then took control of the game, ultimately winning it 7-4.After Perreault&rsquo;s game-tying goal at 8:12 of the second period, it looked like the Sabres might just notch their first victory of this series. But just 45 seconds later the Islanders&rsquo; Bryan Trottier took the wind out of Buffalo&rsquo;s sails, coming from behind the Sabre net to whip a shot by goalie Don Edwards. Trottier got his second goal of the game&mdash;and eighth of the playoffs&mdash;at the 18:26 mark of the second to make the score 42.A shorthanded goal by Lome Henning at 2:59 of the third period was followed by Bob Bourne&rsquo;s seventh goal of the playoffs at the 7:47 mark, making the score 6-2 and appearing to seal the Sabres&rsquo; fate. But two quick goals by Derek Smith and Lindy Ruff brought Buffalo to within two goals.That&rsquo;s as close as they got, however, and Butch Goring added an open net goal at the 19:38 mark just in case.Game 4: The score was the same as it was the night before, 74, but this time it was the Buffalo Sabres who, facing elimination for the first time in the series, won when they had to and stayed alive for Game 5.The Islanders, as usual, jumped out on top early, building up a 3-1 lead through the first 23 minutes of the game on two goals by Bob Bourne (his eighth and ninth of the playoffs) and one by Bob Nystrom. Don Luce got the lone goal for Buffalo.At that point, the Islanders totally folded and for the first time in the series goalie Billy Smith began to look mortal, as he allowed four unanswered goals (two by Derek Smith, two by Gil Perreault) to elude him.The Sabres took their 5-3 lead into the final period against a new Islander goalie&mdash;Glenn Resch, who was making his first playoff appearance since the second game of the Los Angeles series. Bobby Nystrom promptly brought the Islanders to within one at the 1:51 mark, but Buffalo&rsquo;s Tony McKegney responded less than a minute later to make the score 6-4, Perreault notched his hat trick with an open net goal at the 19:47 mark to complete the scoring and send the series back to Buffalo.Game 5: Goals by John Van Boxmeer and Richie Dunn and the steady, sometimes spectacular, goaltending by Bob Sauve provided the Sabres with a 2-0 victory over the Islanders, who once again found themselves haunted by the &ldquo;choke&rdquo; tag just when they thought they had lost it for good.Both of the Sabres&rsquo; goals came on their power play, which had been floundering until the fourth game in New York. Van Boxmeer&rsquo;s tally&mdash;a blistering drive from the right side&mdash;came just 1:52 into the game with the Isles&rsquo; John Tonelli in the penalty box for roughing. Van Boxmeer took a pass from Rick Martin and blasted a shot into the upper right hand corner behind goalie Chico Resch, starting his first game in almost a month.Dunn&rsquo;s goal came at 14:45 of the second period with the Isles&rsquo; Dave Langevin in the box for elbowing. Van Boxmeer set up Dunn with a perfect pass at the left point and Dunn unhesitantly drilled it by Resch&rsquo;s short side.Although he handled only 22 shots, Buffalo&rsquo;s Sauve made several spectacular saves on Denis Potvin (twice), Butch Goring and Bryan Trottier. The game was the first in 13 playoff games that Buffalo coach Scotty Bowman didn&rsquo;t alternate his two goalies and it was also the first time since October that Sauve had played two consecutive games. The speculation was that Bowman would stick with Sauve for Game 6 back in New York as well.Game 6: The Sabres travelled to Long Island for this game with hopes of winning it and forcing a seventh game back in Buffalo. And for awhile, it looked like Buffalo might just pull it off, as they took a 2-0 lead before seven minutes had elapsed in the game. But the Islanders, rallying with five unanswered goals in the remaining 53 minutes, eliminated the Sabres 5-2 and advanced to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in their history.Gilbert Perreault got the Sabres on the board early, at the 2:26 mark of the first period, when he tucked a rebound behind Islander goalie Billy Smith. Just over four minutes later, Perreault bolted down the left side and blasted his 10th goal of the playoffs by Smith&rsquo;s short side. But after those two solo efforts by the brilliant Perreault, it was all Islanders.John Tonelli got things started at the 8:08 mark of the first, when he banged a rebound behind Sabres&rsquo; goalie Bob Sauve, starting his third consecutive game. Then, just 31 seconds into the second period, the Islanders&rsquo; Mike Bossy evened the score with his sixth goal of the playoffs.Bob Lorimer got what proved to be the game-winner midway through the second session, when he darted in from his normal defensive position and hammered a rebound past Sauve. Duane Sutter tucked one behind Sauve at 11:50 of the third period and then Bob Bourne shot his 10th playoff goal into an open net at the 19:00 mark, sending the Islanders into the finals against Philadelphia.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-02885/4291126-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="1201" height="1216"><figcaption class="caption-body">The New York Islanders&rsquo; Mike Bossy celebrates after scoring a goal against Buffalo in the semifinals. Bill Hajt is the dejected Sabre at the left. Bossy scored twice in the first three games of the series and added another in the decisive sixth game.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0006-01

Flyers Overwhelm Stars; Islanders Dump Sabres

Following are the dates for the best-of-seven Stanley Cup final between the Islanders and Philadelphia:Tues. May 13 at PhiladelphiaThurs. May 15 at PhiladelphiaSat. May 17 at IslandersMon. May 19 at IslandersThurs. May 22 at PhiladelphiaSat. May 24 at IslandersTues. May 27 at Philadelphia<h2>HOW TEAMS COMPARE</h2><h3>OVER SEASON</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04384/4291171-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="502" height="103"></div><h2>SCORES OF GAMES</h2>Islanders 2 at Philadelphia 5Philadelphia 5 at Islanders 2Islanders 5 at Philadelphia 2Philadelphia 2 at Islanders 5 &#9632;

f0006-04

Dates For Cup Final

<h2>SERIES M</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05311/4291209-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="537" height="240"></div><h2>SERIES N</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-06218/4291202-1-eng-US/f0006-062.jpg" title="f0006-06" width="538" height="167"></div>Top scorers: Perreault 6, Bourne 5, Bossy, Nystrom, Smith 3, Trottier, Tonelli, Goring, McKegney 2. Overtime winners: Nystrom (Islanders).Final outlook: The Islanders and Flyers are meeting in the Stanley Cup final for the first time ever. For the New Yorkers It is their initial venture into the championship series. The Flyers have been there before, losing to Montreal in the &lsquo;76 final and, of course, winning the Cup in &lsquo;74 and &lsquo;75. There isn&rsquo;t much to choose between the teams off their season record. They have met four times, each has won twice&mdash;one away and one at home&mdash;and all four games ended in scores of 5-2. The Fivers are 11-2 in 13 playoff games this season while the Islanders are 11-4 to date. New York has scored 62 goals in 15 games while the Fivers have notched 53 in 13. &#9632;

f0006-05

NHL Playoff Picture

The International Hockey Weekly Founded in 1947Published by W.C.C. Publishing Ltd.214 King St. West, Suite 314, Toronto, Ont. M5H 1K4<h2>A Concept Dies</h2>WHEN SO MUCH has been put into a program concept in the way of hopes, dreams, personal sacrifices, good intentions and unflagging dedication, it is difficult to countenance the defeat of such a program concept even when it&rsquo;s hopeless to hope, and when the odds have run monumentally high against it.But the concept of a Canadian national amateur hockey team, assembled in permanent residence and taking part in future international competition, has bombed out twice this year, and here&rsquo;s hoping that the concept has finally died and that the slaughter of Canadian amateur hockey innocents abroad shall have ended for all time.Canada will have its hands full pitting the best of its pros against the best of the other international pros, and the idea of amateur or college Canadians taking part in any further international experiment is ludicrous.The man who dared to dream most, and who will be hurt most, is Father David Bauer, a very dear man, a very intelligent man whose own convictions and passions made it possible to influence government and private supporters.Father Bauer won a bronze at the 1968 Olympics with such a concept, but this is 1980 and all the factors are different.It is time now for the young men assembled by Father Bauer at Calgary to be dispersed&mdash;they served their noble best but they couldn&rsquo;t do it at Lake Placid, and they couldn&rsquo;t do it in Goteburg. For those who think they have a pro future, now is the time to try. For the others, it is time to resume college studies.Surely, by now, Hockey Canada should be aware of this, and so should the other friends of the national amateurs&mdash;Al Eagleson, the NHL, the federal government, private sponsors, even the young players themselves who must know by now how circumstances have stacked the cards against them.And if you wonder why Canada can&rsquo;t do as well with the college hockey product as can the United States&mdash;read on below, to discover the difference in hockey structure and hockey numbers.<h2>Why Canada Can&rsquo;t</h2>CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES are poles apart in hockey resources and the answer to why they can produce a better product comes in two parts&mdash;(a) the total numbers from which to draw an All Star American college team, and (b) the money available to hockey programs in American colleges.For every Canadian collegian playing hockey today there are probably 30 times that number in the U.S. And remember, too, that there are 400 young Canadians playing hockey on scholarships at American colleges.Perhaps we should look to U.S. college football as another factor in making conditions different in the two countries. U.S. college football, with home crowds of up to 100,000 in some places, is a revenue producer which makes money available for other college sports, including hockey. Hence, a Canadian player, can pick up a $7,500 per-year hockey scholarship at an American college, while, in Canada, he can&rsquo;t even get a free pair of skates.So let us now face up to the new facts and forget about the concepts that were winners in 1968. The Bauer dream is shattered, and it&rsquo;s shabby fate that it had to happen to such a wonderful man. &#9632;

The Hockey News

<div class="byline">BY LOU LEFAIVE</div>Shortly after Hockey Canada&rsquo;s chief negotiator, Alan Eagleson, returned from two weeks of talks in Sweden, cleaning up the legal loose ends to make way for the second Canada Cup tournament to be held in the autumn of 1980, it became apparent that many of the performers for Canada&rsquo;s team, made up of players from the National Hockey League, were opposed to participating in a tournament to which the Soviets were invited.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011145/4291295-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="288" height="503"></div>On April 30, Eagleson and Lou Lefaive, president of Hockey Canada held a press conference to announce the postponement of the Canada Cup tournament, a disclosure that later met with considerable negative reaction from the International Ice Hockey Federation, which contended that the tournament had already been previously postponed a year.Eagleson indicated that the majority of NHL player representatives were &ldquo;unanimous in supporting the Canada Cup concept, but not with Soviet participation,&rdquo; and that &ldquo;because of the sacrifice Canadian amateur athletes had been asked to make as a result of the government decision to boycott the Olympics, not playing in the Canada Cup tournament was a sacrifice professional hockey players could make without government intervention.&rdquo;Lefaive also indicated at the press conference that the cancellation of the 1980 tournament would result in the loss of $2 million in revenue for Hockey Canada and would cost his organization some $600,000, which he said Hockey Canada would hope to recover in a series of exhibition games involving the six Canadian-based NHL teams playing against the Canadian Olympic team at their home arenas.The following are Lou Lefaive&rsquo;s opinions on what effects the postponement of the Canada Cup will have on international hockey:I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s going to affect international hockey that much. I prefer to say that the Canada Cup tournament was postponed rather than cancelled because we hope to have it staged at some later date.We plan on continuing our program with the National team and getting ready to play in the World Championships next year in Sweden. There&rsquo;s also the Rudi Pravda tournament (in Czechoslovakia) but I don&rsquo;t think a decision on whether we will participate in that one can be made at this time.I&rsquo;m sure that the World Championships will be held next year and that the Soviets will be invited to it. As for North American teams not playing against the Soviets, as far as I know there haven&rsquo;t been any tours or exhibitions scheduled in the next year either here or in the Soviet Union, but I&rsquo;m sure that we would be meeting the Soviets on some sort of neutral ground. They played in that tournament in Sweden that we played in at the end of April. We met them there and I don&rsquo;t think there was any concern about playing them. Certainly in World Championships and in regular IIHF sanctioned tournaments, I think those exchanges would continue.Hockey Canada has had a pretty good response to our proposal to meet the Canadian-based NHL teams in a series of exhibition games as a way of raising funds for the Canadian Olympic team. We&rsquo;ve talked informally about it and now we&rsquo;ve made formal approaches on it. We don&rsquo;t yet have answers on the formal approaches, but I would expect that we would get a fairly favorable response, but there are a lot of details to be worked out on dates and timing, etc.Harold Ballard is a pretty tough guy to convince. It&rsquo;s possible but Toronto might not be involved and I guess that would have to be up to Harold. Maybe we will play other NHL teams and not Toronto if Harold maintains his position. Going by his statements to the press it looks pretty difficult in Toronto, but who knows?I think we&rsquo;ll have a fair number of our Canadian Olympic players back. We&rsquo;re reopening our training camp in August and others will be invited out. I&rsquo;m confident that we can put a respectable team together. I don&rsquo;t know how many we&rsquo;re going to lose to the pros. As of right now there&rsquo;s only Paul Pageau, who signed with Los Angeles, Bob Dupuis, who signed earlier in Edmonton, Kevin Maxwell with Minnesota and Paul MacLean with St. Louis. These are the guys who actually signed; there are others who are talking and waiting until after the draft to see how things go. But we don&rsquo;t expect to lose too many of them. &#9632;

f0008-01

“We’ll Meet Soviets On Neutral Ground”

<div class="byline">BY HAROLD BALLARD</div>After the cancellation of the Canada Cup several weeks ago, Lou Lefaive, president of Hockey Canada, appealed to the six National Hockey League teams based in Canada, asking them if they would consider having each of their teams play a game against the Canadian National team, with all proceeds going to Hockey Canada. To date only one owner&mdash;Harold E. Ballard of the Toronto Maple Leafs&mdash;has unequivocally stated that he will not allow his arena to be used for such a purpose. Below, he explains why.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021031/4291326-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="257" height="425"></div>I can&rsquo;t see any sense in staging a game between a team of paid professionals and a group of amateurs&mdash;especially the group that is now making up Canada&rsquo;s national team. They&rsquo;ve made a mess of things for the last 15 years&mdash;and this year was no exception. Why throw good money after bad?The whole concept of the national team is just a way for people like Lou Lefaive and Alan Eagleson to make a living. And as for Father Bauer&hellip;he hasn&rsquo;t worked a day in his life. He&rsquo;s been running around for years with that collar around his neck, posing as a hockey coach. Well, I say it&rsquo;s high time he makes up his mind to stick with the vocation he&rsquo;s best at&mdash;being a priest.The national team in Canada right now is a total joke, and the reason it&rsquo;s a joke is that there are a bunch of parasites running it. The only way to get rid of them is to do what they do over in Europe and let the government run the whole damn thing. Over there, the government is like the NHL when it comes to national teams.But the way the thing is being run now is crazy. And look at it this way: How many players have made it to the NHL from any one of Canada&rsquo;s national teams in the last 15 years? One? Maybe two? The only solution is to let the kids who are playing for the national team now see if they can make it in the NHL. If they can, then sign them up and put them to work. If they can&rsquo;t, then let them play in the minors like everybody else.But let&rsquo;s put an end to all of these useless jobs that are being created for people just so this program can continue. It&rsquo;s not doing the players any good, and it&rsquo;s sure not doing Canada any good. We&rsquo;ve got enough barnacles and parasites in government already. &#9632;

f0008-02

“We’ve Got Enough Parasites In Government”

<div class="byline">BY BILL FLEISCHMAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011103/4291357-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Phil Myre is used to standing by while others get their chances, but he moved to the forefront in the Flyers&rsquo; semifinal win over Minnesota.</figcaption></div>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;Mention Phil Myre&rsquo;s name to hockey people and most would say, &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a nice guy, but I wouldn&rsquo;t want to stake a Stanley Cup on him.&rdquo;Which shows you what most hockey people know. Through little fault of his own, Myre had acquired a reputation as a journeyman goaltender. Despite respectable goals-against averages in Atlanta, the Flames generally chose to play Daniel Bouchard in their brief playoff appearances.The most playoff action Myre had was in 1974 when, in just their second NHL season, the Flames lost in four straight quarterfinal games to the Flyers. Myre started three of those games. His performance was thoroughly professional, but the remainder of his time with Atlanta, he appeared in just two playoff games. It wasn&rsquo;t Myre&rsquo;s fault that his goaltending rival in 1974 was a gentleman named Bernie Parent, who yielded just five goals to Atlanta on his way to leading the Flyers to their first Stanley Cup.Guess who is in position to help lead the Flyers to their first Cup since 1975? Myre&rsquo;s the name, and patience is his game.People dismissed the Flyers&rsquo; Cup chance because of goaltending, but Myre is one reason they&rsquo;re changing their minds.Myre, 31, was patient when Coach Pat Quinn started rookie Pete Peeters in this year&rsquo;s playoffs. Peeters won the first two struggles with Edmonton, then Quinn turned to Myre to keep him sharp, and all the veteran did was play superbly. After allowing two first period goals, Myre blanked the Oilers until Ken Linseman&rsquo;s goal at 23:56 of overtime won for the Flyers.Myre remained patient when Peeters returned, playing like a guy named Parent as the Flyers surprised the Rangers in five-games. But when Peeters opened the Minnesota semifinal series with a 6-5 loss, Quinn again called on his former Atlanta teammate. The result? A 7-0 Philadelphia victory, Myre&rsquo;s first Stanley Cup playoff shutout.Myre played the rest of the Minnesota matchup, finishing with four consecutive victories and an outstanding 2.00 average against the frustrated North Stars. The highlight of Myre&rsquo;s work was the 3-2 victory in Game 4 when Minnesota went 0-for-12 on its power play before a disbelieving Met Center audience.Philadelphia&rsquo;s penalty killers, led by Mel Bridgman and Bill Barber, were brilliant. But they couldn&rsquo;t totally shut down the North Stars. Some shots did get through, and when they did, Myre was there to stop them.And when Minnesota had been defeated and Myre could pause to catch his breath, he looked around the Flyers&rsquo; dressing room and, remembering a dismal season in St. Louis a year ago, savored the moment.&ldquo;I wish I could go out now and enjoy this to its fullest extent,&rdquo; Myre said. &ldquo;But we still have a big, big series to play.&ldquo;I never would have thought of this a year ago, to be in the Stanley Cup finals. The streak, that was the greatest thing to ever happen to me in hockey. Now, this. The next biggest thrill will be when we win the Stanley Cup.&rdquo;Before the playoffs began, many people dismissed the Flyers&rsquo; Stanley Cup chances. One reason was their goaltending, which hadn&rsquo;t been playoff-tested.Myre and Peeters still haven&rsquo;t been through a Stanley Cup final&mdash;the Islanders will conduct them on an extensive tour of what such madness is like. But they can win the Cup. And Phil Myre is one reason for the changes of mind.FLYING FACTS: Bobby Clarke moved past Bobby Orr on the alltime playoff scoring list&hellip;Gene Hart, who has been the Flyers&rsquo; broadcaster since the team began, has found a steady summer job: He&rsquo;ll train to succeed popular Roy Shudt as track announcer at Bran dywine Raceway. Can&rsquo;t you hear Hart now: &ldquo;Direct Scooter swings three-wide, he starts his charge he SCORES! &ldquo; &#9632;

f0009-01

Myre Waited Patiently To Prove Critics Wrong

<div class="byline">BY CHUCK MOODY</div>PITTSBURGH&mdash;The Pittsburgh Penguins ended weeks of speculation by announcing that they would not renew the contract of beleaguered coach Johnny Wilson.The announcement was made by Penguin president Vincent Bar-timo acting in behalf of team owner Edward DeBurtolo. Bartimo said a replacement &ldquo;will be named in the near future.&rdquo;The change was made after a meeting of the Penguin Executive Committee, consisting of DeBartolo, Bartimo, vice president Paul Martha and general manager Baz Bastien.&ldquo;The Penguins did not play the kind of hockey the last half of the season they had the potential of playing,&rdquo; Bartimo said. &ldquo;The record has to be laid at Wilson&rsquo;s door, although he was not totally to blame. Unfortunately, a coach has to accept the responsibilities of his team&rsquo;s shortcomings.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-02912/4291388-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="559" height="736"><figcaption class="caption-body">Penguin officials felt Johnny Wilson wasn&rsquo;t motivating his players enough to become winners.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Wilson, 52, coached the Penguins to a three-season record of 91-105-44, including a 30-37-13 mark this season, 12 points below their 1979 finish. He came to Pittsburgh in 1976 from the Colorado Rockies.The Penguins finished 13th in the overall regular season standings and were eliminated in the preliminary round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by Boston in the maximum five games.Wilson was reportedly vacationing at the time of the announcement and could not be reached for comment.The season began well for Pittsburgh and they were in first place in the Norris Division on Jan. 3. However, things went downhill from there and Wilson came under the brunt of fan and media criticism for the team&rsquo;s unsuccessful style of shooting the puck over the blueline and chasing it.&ldquo;We were going along so good and then we kind of faltered,&rdquo; said Bastien, a close friend of Wilson. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t believe Johnny was entirely to blame&mdash;we had an awful lot of injuries this season.&rdquo;The Penguins played most of the second half of the season without their top two centers and leading scorers&mdash;team captain Orest Kindrachuk and Greg Malone.&ldquo;The problem was with the players,&rdquo; said Malone. &ldquo;We lost our confidence. I don&rsquo;t know if anyone behind the bench could have made things different.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m surprised. I thought Johnny would be back next year. There&rsquo;s no question we had a disappointing season and some changes had to be made. I just hope they don&rsquo;t tear the team apart, too. We have a pretty good nucleus.&rdquo;Bartimo said even though Wilson did not have a written contract for next season, he will be paid a full salary if he does not obtain a coaching job elsewhere.&ldquo;We have the highest personal regard for John and his coaching ability,&rdquo; Bartimo said. &ldquo;A change, however, was felt to be in the best interest of all concerned. We all wish Johnny well.&rdquo;The entire executive committee will be involved in selecting a replacement for Wilson.&ldquo;We will be looking for someone who can motivate people,&rdquo; said Bartimo. &ldquo;I feel personally that John Wilson is one of the top six or seven coaches in the National Hockey League, but we need someone who is a little more volatile, more outspoken.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0009-02

Pens Fire Wilson In Latest Shakeup

<div class="byline">BY AL SMITH</div>ATLANTA&mdash;Actor Glenn Ford&rsquo;s &ldquo;Pocketful of Miracles&rdquo; didn&rsquo;t include the Atlanta Flames, thus the National Hockey League&rsquo;s only Southern franchise will probably be moved to a more favorable hockey climate by the start of the 1980-81 season.Ford had expressed an interest in buying the Flames and keeping them in Atlanta, but recently dropped out of the bidding for the team when his business partner, Lloyd Zeiderman, discouraged Ford from pursuing purchase of the financially troubled franchise any further.Zeiderman issued the following statement one week after Ford&rsquo;s interest in the team surfaced.&ldquo;Glenn Ford has regretfully decided to end discussions for the purchase of the Atlanta Flames.&ldquo;Lloyd Zeiderman, his business manager, has made this recommendation after reviewing substantial financial information provided by the Atlanta Flames organization, in particular Tom Cousins, as well as the Atlanta group &ldquo;Save Our Flames&rdquo; (A group of citizens formed to try to keep the Flames in Atlanta).&ldquo;Mr Ford and Mr. Zeiderman wish to thank both organizations for the invaluable assistance and prompt response to all our requests, in particular, the meeting with Bill Putnam and John Brecht (representatives of Save our Flames), was extremely beneficial in our attempt to keep the Flames in Atlanta.&ldquo;Mr. Ford revealed that he is very disappointed that the economics of the situation make this otherwise desirable venture impractical.&rdquo;Ford&rsquo;s interest in the Flames came to light on May 1, when Zei-derman sent a telegram to Cousins stating his client&rsquo;s concern that the team would be moved from Atlanta due to the fact the team has lost money since its inception in the 1972-73 NHL season, and reportedly lost as much as $2.8 million last season.The Ford interest seemed to be the team&rsquo;s last hope of remaining in Atlanta and it is thought the team will be headed for Calgary next season. At lease two parties&mdash;the Seamon Brothers, Darryl, Donald and Byron, of Calgary and Bow Industries, and Nelson Skal-bania of Vancouver are bidding for the team. The Seamons&rsquo; and Skal-bania were both involved with franchises in the now-defunct World Hockey Association. Both groups would be interested in moving the team to Calgary, but a new arena must be built, or approved, before the team can be moved there. The 6,500-seat Calgary Corral is the best facility available at this time.Upon Ford&rsquo;s withdrawal, Cousins&rsquo; office issued the following statement:&ldquo;We are continuing our discussions with several different groups concerning the possible sale and relocation of the Atlanta Flames.&ldquo;While in Calgary, in addition to our discussions concerning the team, we met with the mayor and city officials regarding the timing and progress on Calgary&rsquo;s proposed arena and with businessmen regarding an unrelated real estate venture.&ldquo;The Atlanta Flames have not been sold and it may be several weeks before such a transaction occurs, if at all. However, sale and relocation to Calgary is likely, provided we can be fully satisfied as to the city of Calgary&rsquo;s and the province of Alberta&rsquo;s commitment to build a new coliseum.&rdquo;So, since there was no &ldquo;Pocketful of Miracles&rdquo; for Cousins and the Flames coming from actor Ford, the possibility that the Flames were headed elsewhere became more of a reality.But the Save Our Flames committee, although not very optimistic, continued their efforts to keep the team south of the Mason-Dixon line.After all, they were the only thing preventing the Flames from turning into embers in the South.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011132/4291419-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="529" height="604"><figcaption class="caption-body">Flames&rsquo; owner Tom Cousins, above, was turned down by actor Glenn Ford as a potential buyer of his NHL team. Cousins lost $2.8 million last season operating the Atlanta team.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0010-01

Flames Could Be Snuffed In Atlanta

<div class="byline">Fan Forum Compiled By CATHY MUNRO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-02908/4291450-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="553" height="314"></div><h2>Farewell NHL, And Thanks For The Memories</h2>Before I leave the Washington Capitals, I thought I&rsquo;d pass on the secret of hockey.The secret is that all your wins, losses and ties are going to fade into one fat, mushy blur, despite the efforts of Ron Andrews and Company to preserve them in clear, black type.What&rsquo;s left? Each September, we fill some empty uniforms, then live and die with the pursuit of the puck for the next six months. That pursuit creates an intangible bond among the players and those who chronicle and cheer the chase. And, while I can remember but 10 games vividly (Who shot that puck, anyway?), I was fortunate enough to share my ride on the hockey roller coaster with scores of exemplary people. They are the ones who made it all worthwhile; they are the ones who made it all memorable.To them I say thanks, and thanks again.Pierce Gardner Washington, D.C.(The writer is the former public relations director of the Washington Capitals).<h2>Saginaw Gears Out For Blood</h2>I read the &ldquo;Some Other Views&rdquo; article in the May 2 issue of THE HOCKEY NEWS concerning the controversial Milwaukee-Saginaw affair in the International Hockey League. I am an avid Flint Generals fan of the same league, and I follow everything that has to do with the league. I, too, was appalled by what happened.I could not believe some of the comments that Saginaw president Wren Blair made. He makes it all sound as if it was nothing! The coach of Milwaukee actually vomited because of what he saw happen to Haworth of his team. On clips of the brawl, I, too, saw what John Gibson did to Carey Haworth. Blood was staining the ice around the Milwaukee player who sat crouched in agony. And Wren Blair says nothing of what two other Gears, Mel Hewitt and Jim Branton, did. It was plain disgusting.I&rsquo;d also like to know where Blair gets off with this bit about Milwaukee being a &ldquo;brutal&rdquo; club early in the season. Every fan in the league knows that the Saginaw Gears are the top cheap-shots, sucker-punchers, and headhunters, if you will, in the league.The Saginaw fans are also unbelievable. I have been to Saginaw several times to see games. What do they do about cheap-shots like Gibson, Branton and Hewitt (penalty leader of the league)? They give them ovations whenever they hit someone, hurt someone or fight someone. Saginaw fans don&rsquo;t seem to want hockey&mdash;they want blood in order to get the Turner Cup.Susan Schlenker&nbsp; Flint, MI.<h2>Habs&rsquo; Defeat Is Poetic Justice</h2>The first thing I&rsquo;d like to make clear is that I&rsquo;m a tried true-and-blue Montreal Cana-diens&rsquo; fan and have been since before the days when the Family Herald carried full page color photos of NHL players. That goes back at least 20 years. So anything I say that sounds prejudiced probably is.I&rsquo;m blue because those upstart Minnesotans eliminated the Habs, but if they had to go down it was poetic justice to see them defeated by a team that is trying to show that skating and other basic skills are what hockey is all about. Montreal and Minnesota sure showed you can have intensity and body checking in a game without fighting and chippy hockey.It&rsquo;s a real shame, however, that Guy Lafleur was missing from this year&rsquo;s Stanley Cup playoffs. No one will convince me it would have been a sevengame series if the Habs had had Lafleur in their line-up.And for those wondering how much the loss of Scotty Bowman, Ken Dryden and Jacques Lemaire would affect Montreal, they now have their answer.Glenn Allen,&nbsp; Telkwa. B.C.<h2>Picks Perreault as All Star Center</h2>I&rsquo;m sick and tired of reading and hearing about how great Marcel Dionne and Wayne Gretzky are. Granted, they are great scorers and they were picked as first and second team All Star centers by the fans in THE HOCKEY NEWS. My pick was Gil Perreault of the Buffalo Sabres and he didn&rsquo;t even get honorable mention! Let&rsquo;s face it, people are blind. The man is the most underrated superstar in sports today.He finished fourth this year in scoring in the NHL with 106 points, not to mention his great checking and part-time penalty killing which helped the Sabres capture the Vezina trophy. He is currently 26th on the all-time goal scoring list. He is the most exciting player in the game today and a great pleasure to watch. He also has the ability to break a game wide open at any time.I hope the people and the media will finally realize who numero uno really is.Howie Russell&nbsp; West Seneca, NY<h2>Here&rsquo;s Hoping Savard Will Stay Around</h2>How great it was to see Serge Savard back in action again, even if only briefly during the Canadiens-Minnesota quarterfinal series.Oh, they painted a bleak picture back on March 11th when it was announced that his sprained ankle was not sprained at all but fractured. We remember vividly but not pleasantly comments made by certain members of the Montreal media regarding his future, or should I say non-future as a member of the Canadiens. There were many who doubted him and said so quite boldly.They just don&rsquo;t know him like we do. Remember last year&rsquo;s winner of the Masterton trophy? Perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey, qualities which he has possessed throughout his career? Add courage to that heart and desire. Remember all the garbage he had to swallow early in the season, all the abuse, undeserved and misdirected though it was? Then of course the injury jinx hit and the regular season ended for him all too soon. He&rsquo;d never come back, the skeptics, said, he&rsquo;d never play again.Will, we&rsquo;re glad the Captain proved them wrong. He came back and he played. There is a lot of great hockey left in our #18. Hockey needs him, the Canadiens need him, and most of all his fans need him. We hope he&rsquo;ll be around for a long, long time.William J. O&rsquo;Brien&nbsp; Arlington. MA<h2>Espo Good Choice As AU Star Goalie</h2>I was glad to see the fans select Tony Esposito as a first team All Star in the April 25th issue of THE HOCKEY NEWS. Many fans who look only at statistics would not realize how good he really is. He has been the backbone of the Black Hawks for more than a decade now. He has definitely been the most consistent NHL goalie over the last decade. He had his best year in a while this year, once again proving that he is the NHL&rsquo;s best goaltender.Esposito is the main reason for the Hawks remaining a respectable team.Mike Stallone&nbsp; Schaumburg, Il<h2>Stars&rsquo; Skill Rings Loud And Clear</h2>In response to Karl Witbeck&rsquo;s letter about the Minnesota North Stars&rsquo; poor goaltending, I offer the following: How in the world could the Stars compile their best ever record if the goaltending is as bad as he says?Gilles Meloche is one of the best goalies in the league. Mr. Witbeck obviously did not see this year&rsquo;s All Star game. If he had he would have noticed that Meloche was the winning goalie.After seeing the quarterfinal series between Minnesota and Montreal, and particularly the seventh game, I wonder if Witbeck still holds his view of the Stars&rsquo; poor goaltending. If he does, the reception from whatever planet he is on can&rsquo;t be too good.Ray Green&nbsp; Hayward, CA<h2>Islanders To Win The Cup?</h2>The New York Islanders had, as everyone knows, a very mediocre regular season. But in the last 10 games of the season through to the first round of the playoffs, they were showing everyone their true championship form.I think people counted out the Islanders as Stanley Cup contenders this year far too early, as a result of their &ldquo;poor&rdquo; (still 5th best) record. Yes, 91 points was an underachievement for last year&rsquo;s regular season leader, but one must remember that injuries, such as Denis Potvin&rsquo;s (the NHL&rsquo;s premier defenseman) were a major contributing factor to the Islanders&rsquo; season long slump.But I&rsquo;m sure the Islanders will prove to everyone around the NHL this year that they are championship material by winning the Cup and maybe then they&rsquo;ll get the recognition they deserve.Paul Sturman&nbsp; Lewisburg, PA &#9632;

f0010-02

FAN FORUM

<div class="byline">BY TOM MURRAY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011081/4291488-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-02884/4291481-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="1821" height="1398"><figcaption class="caption-body">Head coach Herb Brooks (right) and his assistant, Craig Patrick, were the men behind the Miracle at Lake Placid last February, when the United States Olympic hockey team upset the mighty Soviets and went on to win the goldmedal. THE HOCKEY NEWS will present both Brooks and Patrick with handsome, bronze-etched plaques commemorating their achievements. (Photo by Bruce Bennett)</figcaption></div>On the evening of Friday, February 22, 1980, the United States Olympic hockey team startled the world by upsetting the awesome Soviet team 4-3. Less than 48 hours later, the U.S. Olympians defeated Finland 4-2 to capture the gold medal and complete one of the most memorable weekends in sports history.For those 48 hours, millions of people throughout North America sat glued to their television sets, mesmerized by the play Of 20 youngsters, averaging 22 years old, with names like Craig, Johnson, Eruzione, Ramsey, Morrow, Schneider&hellip;When it was all over, they had become America&rsquo;s Team, a group of young men who were embraced by everyone from the President of the United States to the most indifferent sports fan, who couldn&rsquo;t help but get caught up in the emotion of it all. Even though that climactic, gold-clinching game against Finland and the joyous scene at the subsequent awards ceremony represented the last time they would ever be together as a team, those 20 players and what they accomplished in that brief span of 48 hours&mdash;for themselves, for hockey, and for their country&mdash;will forever remain indelible in the hearts and minds of millions.Coach Herb Brooks and his assistant, Craig Patrick, were the two men behind the miracle at Lake Placid. Brooks was Mr. Outside, as cool and aloof as he was brash, glib and outspoken, spouting his coaching philosophy and infamous &ldquo;Brooksisms&rdquo; to anyone within hearing range. Patrick was Mr. Inside, the man behind the scenes, subdued, reticent, Tunning many of the practices and acting as an understanding and always approachable ombudsman for those players who at times felt alienated or rejected by the demanding and, at times, very callous Brooks.Together, Brooks and Patrick nursed, mothered, cajoled, exhorted and somehow pulled their team through an exhausting but very successful six-month, 60-game exhibition schedule preceding the Olympics.And when it was all over, when each of his players had a gold medal dangling from his neck, Brooks summed up his attitude toward his team in one memorable burst of emotion.&ldquo;You&rsquo;re watching a group of people,&rdquo; Brooks said, &ldquo;that startled the athletic world, not the hockey world, but the athletic world&hellip;These people are deserving because of their age and what they had to accomplish in a short time. As a father, you kick your children in the butt a lot, but fathers and mothers love their children as I love this hockey team.&rdquo;America loved that hockey team, too, and so did millions of people throughout the world. And for that brief, fleeting moment, for that unforgettable mid-winter weekend and what it did for the game of hockey, THE HOCKEY NEWS salutes Herb Brooks and Craig Patrick and takes this opportunity&mdash;at a time of the year when we recognize the accomplishments of various hockey players, executives and coaches in the season just completed&mdash;to present both men with awards commemorating their very special achievement, one that shall never, ever be forgotten. &#9632;

f0011-01

Brooks, Patrick Receive Hockey News Awards

<div class="byline">BY PAT THOMPSON</div>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;The message flashing from the scoreboard of the Philadelphia Spectrum was meant for the Flyers.&ldquo;THE BEST IS YET TO COME.&rdquo;The Flyers had just taken the semifinal series from the Minnesota North Stars in five games with a 7-3 runaway to advance into the championship series against the New York Islanders.The message, although intended for the Flyers, is now the attitude the North Stars are taking after completing their most successful season in history.Minnesota&rsquo;s season of surprise came to an end that night, 106 games after the North Stars opened their exhibition season by beating the U.S. Olympic team.Along the way the North Stars set 25 team records in recording their best regular season ever with 88 points. They followed that by eliminating Toronto in three straight and closed out the dynasty of the Montreal Canadiens in seven games.Minnesota even took the opening game of the semifinal series against the Flyers before their power play ran dry. In the last four games against the Flyers Minnesota scored only two goals on 32 power play chances.Another setback in the series was the team&rsquo;s failure to stop the Flyer power play with any consistency.Those were two areas in which the North Stars had excelled in reaching the semifinals.Another need was demonstrated in that series. The Stars need more protection for their centers. Bobby Smith, for example, did not score a goal against the Flyers, and one of the reasons was a Philadelphia checking job led by Mel Bridgman.The North Stars could have used defenseman Gary Sargent to pep up the power play and Jack Carlson in the physical department. Sargent missed most of the playoffs with a knee injury and roughneck Carlson was out all season after back surgery.The North Stars also finished the final game without two of their best playoff performers, rookies Curt Giles and Steve Christoff.Christoff, who set a Stanley Cup rookie goal record, with eight, was not able to play because of bruised ribs from a cross check. Giles was not able to play defense because of a sore shoulder.It was a punishing series physically for the North Stars. Defenseman Fred Barrett played the final two games despite a chipped bone in his right wrist.The North Stars returned to Minnesota with an air of optimism for the future. Two years ago, they finished last out of 18 teams. They moved to 12th in 1978-79 and checked in sixth this past season despite a number of disabling injuries.Minnesota general manager Lou Nanne decided not to take any time off.&ldquo;The next season has already begun for me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re getting ready for next season. I foresee some changes in our club.&rdquo;The trading market doesn&rsquo;t officially open until after the final Stanley Cup puck is iced. But that hasn&rsquo;t stopped general managers from sounding out trade possibilities.A name that continues to surface is that of Toronto star Darryl Sittler. The Stars, the Flyers and the Buffalo Sabres are among teams reportedly drawing up proposed packages for the Toronto superstar.Of the 25 men the Stars used during the playoffs, 19 appeared in the Stanley Cup show for the first time.Many will be back next season, that much better for the experience. Some will not.&ldquo;History tells you that you better make some changes or slide back,&rdquo; coach Glen Sonmor suggested.&rdquo;I&rsquo;m not saying we need wholesale changes. But we could use a few new faces.&ldquo;What we need was graphically demonstrated to us by the Flyers. They go to you continually, take you out and make it miserable for you on every shift of every game. We&rsquo;ve got some very talented players. And we&rsquo;ve got the players who can play like they did. Whether we have enough, I don&rsquo;t know. We didn&rsquo;t in this series.&rdquo;Any trades the Stars do make will likely come from the center position. The Stars are overloaded at center and the two most prominent names mentioned are Tim Young and Glen Sharpley.STAR DUST: Al MacAdam set a team playoff record in scoring 16 points, one more than former record holder Bill Goldsworthy. Because the playoffs last well into May, MacAdam was unable to attend commencement at Prince Edward Island University for a degree in history. The diploma was mailed to him.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011105/4291519-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="565" height="747"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stopping Bobby Smith was an important factor for the Flyers in blunting Minnesota&rsquo;s power play.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0012-01

Best For North Stars Yet To Come

<div class="byline">BILL LIBBY&#x2019;S</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-02939/4291557-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="295" height="349"></div><h2>Stars&rsquo; Surprise Package</h2>THE SURPRISING SUCCESS of the Minnesota North Stars in this season&rsquo;s Stanley Cup playoffs may trace back to the team&rsquo;s merger with the folded California Seals-Cleveland Barons&rsquo; franchise, which gave the Stars extra talent other struggling teams did not get. However, last season, their first after adding the talent, the Stars still finished with one of the worst records in the National Hockey League.It remains to be seen if this season&rsquo;s Stars are for real, for ordinary teams often have an extraordinary streak before reverting to reality, but the rapid development of talented young players appears to have played a prominent part in this team&rsquo;s recent triumphs. Long-armed and brilliant, Bobby Smith is one player whose contributions have been immense. And the powerful and cocky Steve Payne is another whose performance this year was essential in the revitalization of the Stars.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03681/4291550-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="264" height="390"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Payne</figcaption></div>Smith had overshadowed Payne for awhile because Payne is slow-starting and Smith was much the more highly touted prospect on the Ottawa 67s team both played for as juniors.Three seasons ago, Smith scored 65 goals for Ottawa and Payne only 21. Payne had only four in the first half, but surged with 17 in the second. Two seasons ago, Smith had 69 goals and Payne came up with 57. After missing 18 games with a broken foot that season, Payne poured in 42 goals in the last 25 games.Although Payne was a preferred defensive prospect, Smith was a superior playmaker and pointmaker and Minnesota picked him as the No. 1 choice in the entire draft of eligible amateurs. North Star scouts had their eyes on his linemate, too, and, surprised and pleased when Payne was still available in the second round, they made him their second choice 19th overall. As rookie pros, most of the 18 players picked ahead of Payne could not be compared to him last season.Smith lived up to his promise, scoring 30 goals and assisting on 44 for 74 points in his first NHL season and winning the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. Payne spent the first seven games of his rookie season in the Central League with Oklahoma City. After being called up, he did not score a single goal until his 17th game, the team&rsquo;s 24th. He had only five goals at mid-season. But he surged with 18 in the last half and finished with 23 goals, 17 assists and 40 points. Modest totals, but a promising performance.<h2>The Rooster Crows</h2>THIS SEASON, PAYNE got off to a fast start with eight goals in his first eight games. When Smith suffered a broken ankle and was sidelined for seven weeks Payne picked up the slack. &ldquo;You can stop saying &lsquo;Bobby Smith&rsquo;s line&rsquo; now, you can start saying &lsquo;Steve Payne&rsquo;s line&rsquo;, he said. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t have to say I&rsquo;m Bobby Smith&rsquo;s left winger, you can say he&rsquo;s Steve Payne&rsquo;s center.&rdquo;Payne has a deadpan delivery and a dry wit, which some of his teammates took too seriously last year. &ldquo;They thought I was serious,&rdquo; he sighs. But then veteran Paul Shmyr arrived and started calling Payne &ldquo;Rooster&rdquo; because of the way he struts and crows. That took some of the tension off, Minnesota writers started apppeciating his sense of humor and the other players started to laugh with him. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t take things too seriously,&rdquo; Payne says now. &ldquo;I like a little laughter and I relaxed a little this season.&rdquo;Steve wound up tied with Al MacAdam for the team lead in goals scored with 42, second to MacAdam in points with 85, and ahead of Smith, who missed 19 games and wound up with 83. Confidentially, Steve admits, &ldquo;Hey, I can&rsquo;t play like Bobby. But I can play.&rdquo; That he can. The line of Smith, MacAdam, and Payne came of age in the playoffs. Early in the season, Payne said, &ldquo;This team is going to surprise people. We could win the Stanley Cup. We have as good a chance as anybody to make it to the finals.&rdquo; No one took him seriously.&rdquo;<h2>Lifting Since Ten</h2>HOWEVER, PAYNE is looking like a prophet, even though he&rsquo;d rather be known as a serious hockey player. The 6-2, 205-pounder is a power player. He checks his opponents, hits hard in the corners and has a sizzling wrist shot. His father bought him a set of weights when Steve was 10 and he has been lifting ever since, building his body. He does special exercises to strengthen his wrists. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d rather get off a quick wrist shot than a harder, but less accurate slap shot,&rdquo; he says.Steve was born in Toronto in August, 1958. His dad, Gerald, an electrician, played hockey and football and had a tryout with the football Argos, playing in some exhibitions. A brother, David, 19, has played hockey. There&rsquo;s also a sister, Jeanne, 18. Mom, Marie, is head accountant at a Scarborough bank. Steve lives in suburban Minneapolis and visits Scarborough during the off-season and is scheduled to marry Donna Doyle this summer. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s a nutrition major in college, so I should be well fed,&rdquo; he says.At 22, Payne is a hot-rod freak whose prize possessions are a hopped-up T-Bird and Chevy Nova. One of them is so hot that it gets only five miles to the gallon and is good only for racing, which Steve occasionally enjoys. Whether the North Stars&rsquo; management enjoys Steve&rsquo;s racing exploits as much as he does, however, is quite another matter. &#9632;

f0012-02

HOCKEY AD LIB

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011060/4291588-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="283" height="345"></div><h2>Amazons On Ice</h2>WOULD YOU BELIEVE a woman skating for a National Hockey League team next season?Don&rsquo;t laugh, it&rsquo;s already in black-and-white, 390 pages worth. All of it is contained in a new book called Amazons, published by the prestigious New York firm, Holt, Rinehart and Winston.The author is Cleo Birdwell and the advance copy, which I have obtained, describes Amazons as &ldquo;An Intimate Memoir by the First Woman Ever to Play in the National Hockey League.&rdquo;It is, of course, fiction and the publishers have slated a huge 50,000-book first printing in addition to a $50,000 ad campaign to assure a best seller. Already it has been selected by a major book club, and here&rsquo;s why:&ldquo;I am a rookie with the New York Rangers,&rdquo; writes Birdwell on the book jacket, &ldquo;and the first woman ever to play in the NHL. I am from the Midwest and my mother is a Latin teacher; not many of my Ranger teammates have that sort of background. I guess I am different.&rdquo;So is this book. Amazons, to put it mildly, is the most different hockey book ever written. (Mind you, I didn&rsquo;t say good.) The shockwaves it produces will be felt from Montreal to Minneapolis and back by the time it hits the stands next fall. No doubt it will become a movie with Cleo Birdwell to be played by Bo Derek.There&rsquo;s only one problem&mdash;who is Cleo Birdwell? Holt, Rinehart and Winston says: &ldquo;Unfortunately the author (Birdwell) will not be able to tour because she will be leading the Rangers in their pursuit of the 1980-81 Stanley Cup.&rdquo;But there is a Cleo Birdwell and I now am in possession of the book. By next issue I hope to solve the Birdwell mystery and let you know whether the book is worth paying for or not.NOTES: Billy Harris, who played on Punch Imlach&rsquo;s Stanley Cup-winning Leafs in 1961-62-63-64, is on the lookout for a coaching or assistant coaching slot. Harris, not to be confused with the Kings&rsquo; forward, has the unique distinction of having coached the National teams of Sweden, Italy and Canada. A savvy guy who could help a number of NHL clubs, Harris currently is lecturing at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario&hellip;Among the rumors bruited about is that Mike Palmateer will be signed by the Rangers. If true, this would mean the end of the John Davidson goaltending era in New York. If the Blueshirts unload the competent and heroic Davidson it will be something between absurd and stupid&hellip;Rangers&rsquo; assistant GM (but the new real Rangers&rsquo; boss) Mickey Keating told Davidson&rsquo;s attorney Larry Rauch that Big J. D. is staying on Broadway&hellip;Red Berenson has enjoyed coaching the St. Louis Blues more than he expected. Red tells me that the only episode that ticked him off was the firing of his fellow coach, Fred Creighton&hellip;&ldquo;Freddie was doing a terrific job,&rdquo; says Berenson&hellip;Tell that to Harry Sinden, Red Asked why the Rangers reached the Stanley Cup finals in 1979 and collapsed in the 1980 quarterfinals, the exiting assistant coach Mike Nykoluk replied: &ldquo;The turning point was losing seven guys: (Pat Hickey, Lucien DeBlois, Mike McEwen, Pierre Plante, Dave Farrish, Bobby Sheehan, Nick Fotiu.)&rdquo; A favorite of Garden boss Sonny Werblin, Fotiu wants back to New York and the Rangers (in spite of acting manager Fred Shero) want him. &ldquo;Nicky,&rdquo; said Nykoluk, &ldquo;kept our guys loose. Everyone liked him.&rdquo;&hellip;Yeah, Mike, with the possible exception of captain Dave Maloney&hellip;Whalers know that Rangers want Fotiu but won&rsquo;t let Nick go that easily. &ldquo;New York,&rdquo; says Hartford coach Don Blackburn, &ldquo;will have to give up a lot more than we did to get Nicky.&rdquo;LES CANADIENS SONT MORT: There is considerable debate over whether the Montreal Canadiens dynasty is dead (mort, as they say on Ste. Catherine Street.) I guarantee that it is finis, for the following reasons: (a) The Habs will never find another Scotty Bowman; (b) The Canadiens&rsquo; young defensemen will never be as good as the fading Serge Savard and Guy Lapointe, (c) The traditional Canadiens&rsquo; elan is gone and (4) Other clubs, namely Philly, Buffalo and Minnesota are catching up, fast! Claude Ruel is not the answer.TIGER BY THE TAIL: When NHL Executive Director Brian O&rsquo;Neill suspended Tiger Williams from the playoffs for allegedly massaging Scotty Bowman&rsquo;s head with his stick, the league was presuming guilt on Williams&rsquo; part. What has not been written is that NHL biggies are concerned about the episode. Few realize that Bowman has a plate in his head as a result of an early hockey injury. &ldquo;If Williams&rsquo; stick had caught Scotty the wrong way,&rdquo; says one observer close to the NHL inner circle, &ldquo;it could have killed him. The Williams-Bowman episode will do more to bring about a curb on high sticking than anything else that has happened.&rdquo;MEDIA NOTES: The Vancouver Sun, already weakened by the loss of brilliant Jim Taylor, is now in even worse shape with the exit of columnist Jim Kearney&hellip;The Sun&rsquo;s remaining columnist, James Lawton, is a disaster when it comes to hockey&hellip;Today magazine&rsquo;s sports editor Earl McRae wrote a brilliant profile of Harold Ballard (&ldquo;Harold The Terrible&rdquo;) that shows a soft side to the irascible Leafs&rsquo; owner. But at least one person whom McRae interviewed said Earl didn&rsquo;t do justice to his quotes&hellip;Toronto Globe and Mail columnist Allen Abel, one of the best on the continent, notes that McRae&rsquo;s write-and-run technique has earned him a legion of enemies&hellip;&lsquo;Tis true. Reg Fleming and Phil Esposito. among others, have contracts out on McRae&hellip;Abel tells me that the Leafs, as a team, were dreadful with the media this season. &ldquo;Darryl Sittler and Mike Palmateer told us at the start of the playoffs that they weren&rsquo;t going to talk to us until the series was over,&rdquo; says Abel&hellip;Media-avoidance ploys such as hiding in the trainers&rsquo; rooms, is something the Professional Hockey Writers Association and NHL Prexy John Ziegler ought to deal with once and for all&hellip;The Whalers could give lessons to other NHL teams in press relations. That includes everyone from the players to PR ace Bob Casey. Gordie Howe is a good reason Whalers get along so well with the media. Howe is A-l with the press and young players follow his good example&hellip;The Fred Shero-Nearly-Got-Fired story in the N.Y. Post was a blockbuster. Some cynics suggest that Sonny Werblin planted the piece to either scare Shero into shaping up or to test public opinion as to whether or not Ranger fans want Shero to stay or go&hellip;Hardworking publicist Al Coates fell victim to the Detroit Red Wings reshuffling. He belongs in the bigs.<h2>Resignation No Surprise</h2>EXIT NYKOLUK: The resignation of Mike Nykoluk from the Rangers&rsquo; hierarchy came as no surprise to me nor the players.Nykoluk&rsquo;s demise was predicted here last winter and confirmed in the last issue of THE HOCKEY NEWS. Mike told the players at the farewell shindig that he wouldn&rsquo;t return. The only ones who should be surprised are those who believed Sonny Wer-blin&rsquo;s pious assurances last June that Nykoluk would succeed Fred Shero as coach in 1980. These same folks probably believe in three dollar bills.Having triumphed over Nykoluk in the backroom brawling, Mickey Keating now emerges as the Rangers&rsquo; strongman. What remains to be seen is where Phil Esposito lands in the power play. News reports have Phil becoming assistant coach. I doubt it. Shero would resign before that would happen. Phil would much rather bite The Big Apple for all its worth in commercials and broadcasting. Who says the circus leaves the Garden in June?LATE RUMORS OFF THE PLAYOFF HOTLINE: Harry Sinden reportedly offered the Boston Bruins coaching job to Glen (Slats) Sather, who played on Harry&rsquo;s Bs in the late 1960s&hellip;Slats nixed the offer, &lsquo;tis said, because he&rsquo;s set in Edmonton as next Oilers g.m. and prefers his native Alberta to Beantown&hellip;Ed Johnston, another likely candidate to coach the Bruins, will not, I&rsquo;m told, because the bitterness between the Boston and Chicago high commands (over the Bobby Orr switch) remains too hot to permit negotiations&hellip;That could leave nice guy Johnston in Chicago stuck with cold fish g.m. Bob Pulford. I&rsquo;m surprised Hawks&rsquo; boss Bill Wirtz hasn&rsquo;t done more to ensure Johnston&rsquo;s stay in Chicago&hellip;Although he says he wants out of hockey for a year, Mike Nykoluk will accept a delectable NHL offer if it&rsquo;s presented to the now ex-Rangers asst. coach&hellip;Scotty Bowman is said to be ready to peddle either Vezina Trophy-winner, Bob Sauve or Don Edwards&hellip;A Sabre within earshot on the bench confided that Bowman told Rick Martin his Buffalo career hinged on the Isles-Sabres series. One insider tips me that Bruins&rsquo; goalie Gilles Gilbert isn&rsquo;t anxious to have back surgery. If true, the Bruins could get angry and be in a deep goaltending hole&hellip;Dave (Hammer) Schultz, who could still help an NHL club, is ready to quit hockey. He&rsquo;s disgusted with his AHL experience. &#9632;

f0013-01

ON THE CONTRARY

<div class="byline">BY GLENN COLE</div>MONTREAL&mdash;Remember the prolonged melodrama last summer? Will Scotty Bowman be back to coach the Canadiens? Who will be his replacement?This time around, the Canadiens&rsquo; coaching situation is quite clear&mdash;Claude Ruel will be back behind the Montreal bench.Ruel, who will celebrate his 42nd birthday on Sept. 12, three days before the opening of training camp, confirmed that he would be back after leading the Canadiens from ninth place to third place in the overall standings.&ldquo;We had a good season together,&rdquo; Ruel explained. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t see us do anything but go forward from there.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s too bad the way things finished, but we have a good young club. Sometimes you learn things in defeat.&ldquo;I can not say enough about the leadership I got from people like Larry Robinson, Rejean Houle, Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt or the way that Rod Langway and Brian Engblom played for me.&ldquo;They gave 100 per cent of themselves and their heart for the club. I don&rsquo;t see why we can&rsquo;t build upon that.&rdquo;With the return of Ruel, it is likely that some of the changes mentioned previously will be effected. Both Ruel and Irving Grundman, the Canadiens&rsquo; managing director, discussed personnel and some of those players who were unhappy after Ruel took over the coaching reins from Bernard Geoffrion on Dec. 12.Veteran defenseman Guy Lapointe, Gilles Lupien and Daniel Geoffrion were among those who openly expressed their displeasure. Lapointe, who had a run-in with the coach in March after being scratched from the lineup for missing a pre-game skate, was also displeased when he dressed for the seventh game of the Minnesota series and played just two shifts.Lupien played sparingly in the first two games of the quarterfinal series, did not play in games three and four and didn&rsquo;t dress for the final three games of the series.Geoffrion, who met with Grundman before returning to Atlanta where he will be married in late June, was seldom used by Ruel after he took over the club.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t have guys who are unhappy to work for you,&rdquo; said Ruel. &ldquo;I had a good meeting with Mr. Grundman. He knows the personnel. He knows what moves he has to make and it&rsquo;s up to him.&rdquo;Certainly the Canadiens responded well to Ruel&rsquo;s style as they battled through the second half of the regular season, ending the year with a 21-game unbeaten string.&ldquo;Claude really impressed me, noted Houle. &ldquo;I have known him for several years, but I never thought he would come up that strong. He made the guys work and he works hard himself.&rdquo;&ldquo;He&rsquo;s that type of coach that is going to give you everything he possibly can to put the best team on the ice,&rdquo; added Langway, one of Ruel&rsquo;s prize pupils. &ldquo;He is always there to help out. He&rsquo;s an easy guy to talk to and he is a lot of fun.&rdquo;Unlike last year, Ruel will be engaging an assistant coach, who he expects to name by the end of July.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t think it was right to bring one in last year,&rdquo; he said.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-02847/4291619-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="532" height="798"><figcaption class="caption-body">Guy Lapointe, above, openly critical of coach Ruel last season, could be headed elsewhere next season.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;But there is a lot to do now with ail the travelling, the optional practices and the videotape. Having a man around will help, but I want a good hockey man who is willing to devote himself to the team and who is going to be willing to work with me.&rdquo;There were two or three candidates Ruel had in mind, but he would not divulge who they were, although there was speculation that former captain Yvan Cournoyer and ex-defenseman Jacques Laperriere were being considered.&ldquo;It will be a little bit different starting with the club from the beginning of the year,&rdquo; said Ruel. &ldquo;But I know the players and they know me pretty well.&ldquo;With the training camp and the 10 exhibition games, we&rsquo;ll be able to work on a few things with the players, trying to show them why we want to do things in a certain way.&rdquo;So, the anticipated drama was surprisingly short-lived with Ruel, the consummate company man, returning to the Montreal coaching position.&ldquo;I figured the announcement wouldn&rsquo;t come until later on this summer,&rdquo; said Engblom, who along with Langway was brilliant during the playoffs.&ldquo;There is no reason he shouldn&rsquo;t come back if he is happy and that&rsquo;s what he wants to do. I am sure there is no one better for the job.&rdquo;IN PASSING: Even though Doug Wickenheiser of Regina was less than brilliant during the Memorial Cup playoffs, it was still the feeling he would be Montreal&rsquo;s first pick in the entry draft on June 11. The Canadiens need a good-sized forward&hellip;Larry Robinson and Langway led the Canadiens&rsquo; plus-minus figures for the playoffs with a plus 9 and overall, Robinson had a plus 45 and Langway a plus 44 to rank among the leaders on the team&hellip;The Canadiens will hold their annual golf tournament in August this year instead of June. This will allow more players to participate in the tourney&hellip;Several of the Montreal players were expected to attend the wedding of teammate Mark Napier in Toronto in June. &#9632;

f0013-02

Canadiens’ Ruel Agrees to Return

<div class="byline">BY NEIL MILBERT</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011086/4291650-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="577" height="979"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tom Lysiak is one of the players who makes the Black Hawks strong at center.</figcaption></div>CHICAGO&mdash;In the apartment of Black Hawk center Tom Lysiak there hangs a painting of a group of men starting their climb up a mountain.Across the picture are written these words:&ldquo;Where you come from is not nearly as important as where you are going.&rdquo;It is a fitting synopsis for the Black Hawks&rsquo; 1979-80 season that ended when they were eliminated by Buffalo in four games in the quarterfinals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.Where are the Hawks going?They seem destined to reach the National Hockey League&rsquo;s upper crust within the next three years. Team Chicago is endowed with youth, talent, and ambition.General manager Bob Pulford has stockpiled draft choices and his successor as coach, Eddie Johnston, proved himself to be a remarkable leader of men during his first NHL season.Getting Johnston to sign a longterm contract undoubtedly is the Hawks&rsquo; most pressing priority. The rumors that Boston and Montreal are interested in obtaining his services cannot be taken lightly. Johnston still has a home in Boston, where he spent the best years of his distinguished goaltending career, and Montreal is his hometown. Both the Canadiens and the Bruins are shopping for a coach.&ldquo;E. J. is a tremendous coach,&rdquo; said Hawk defenseman Greg Fox. &ldquo;It would be a terrible blow if he went somewhere else.&rdquo;&ldquo;Best coach I ever had,&rdquo; echoed Lysiak, who has played under four coaches (Boom Boom Geoffrion, Fred Creighton, Pulford and Johnston) during his seven seasons in the NHL.On the ice, the most serious deficiency is in the scoring department. Though the Hawks finished seventh in the overall point standings and easily won the Smythe Division title, they surrendered nine more goals than they scored.Left wing Louis Begin, the underage draftee who garnered 60 goals and 73 assists skating for Sherbrooke of the Quebec League, may prove to be an extremely valuable addition next season.&ldquo;The kid has a lot of talent,&rdquo; said Tony Esposito, the NHL&rsquo;s most renowned active goalie. &ldquo;From what I saw in training camp, he&rsquo;s going to be able to do a lot of scoring in the NHL.&rdquo;The draft also could prove to be productive. In addition to their own selection&mdash;the 15th player to be chosen&mdash;the Hawks have the third choice for allowing Quebec to retain Real Cloutier when the World Hockey Association was absorbed by the NHL.Pulford covets Doug Wickenheiser, the Regina center who led the Western League in scoring.Already, the Hawks have a pair of outstanding centers in Lysiak and captain Terry Ruskowski. Should they snare Wickenheiser and if Reg Kerr recovers from the back problems that ended his 197980 season prematurely, they will have an extraordinary array of talent down the middle.If the aforementioned situation materializes, Doug Lecuyer, who starred in the playoffs as a center, will go back to left wing. Lecuyer figures to keep getting better as does right wing Tim Higgins.The present roster also has some dormant scoring potential. The 40 goals left wing Ron Sed-Ibauer scored two seasons ago are more indicative of his ability than the 23 he tallied this season. Left wing Ted Builey slumped to 14 goals, following two seasons of 20-plus. He too can be expected to make a bigger contribution.Right wings Grant Mulvey and Rich Preston had outstanding seasons, but slumped in the playoffs.Throughout the season, Chicago&rsquo;s defensemen were outstanding. Doug Wilson has developed into one of the league&rsquo;s best. At age 19, Keith Brown (Wilson&rsquo;s partner) had an outstanding rookie season. Another underage draftee, Doug Crossman, scored 20 goals and assisted on 96 for Ottawa of the Ontario League.Although Esposito&rsquo;s 69 games were the most for any NHL goalie, there is a surplus of talent in the net. Understudy Mike Veisor performed brilliantly in spot assignments and Johnston often said: &ldquo;Mike could be a regular on 12 other NHL clubs.&rdquo;Murray Bannerman, up on the farm in New Brunswick, is one of the top minor league goalies. Either he or Veisor may be placed on the trading block because of the potential of Warren Skorodenski, an underage draftee who&rsquo;ll turn pro in the fall after spending the 1979-80 season with Calgary of the Western League.According to Jack Davison, the Hawks&rsquo; assistant general manager, &ldquo;Skorodenski was the best goalie in junior hockey.&rdquo;In the playoffs, the Sabres proved the Hawks aren&rsquo;t quite ready to start rubbing elbows with the NHL&rsquo;s upper crust. But it could be a different story same time next year. &#9632;

f0014-01

Hawks Assuredly Team On The Rise

<div class="byline">BILL FLEISCHMAN&#x2019;S</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-02895/4291681-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="273" height="347"></div><h2>Number 1 In Northland</h2>THE SOLID-GOLD U.S. Olympic hockey team displaced the Dallas Cowboys as America&rsquo;s Team. But it may not be long before the Minnesota North Stars skate into America&rsquo;s hearts. In the Twin Cities, and much of America&rsquo;s northland, the North Stars are already No. 1. And deservedly so.You don&rsquo;t win three playoff games in the Montreal Forum&mdash;the first time a visiting team has shown such lack of respect&mdash;and upset the defending-champion Canadiens without gaining enormous respect.The youthful North Stars, whose ages seem to run somewhere between 17 and 21, have everything people want in heroes: Talent, good looks, humility, poise and the ability to win.Walk into the North Stars&rsquo; dressing room and you&rsquo;re astonished by their youth. I thought I had taken a wrong turn and wandered into the Peterborough Petes&rsquo; dressing room. These North Stars do shave, don&rsquo;t they?Clean-cut? These guys make Donny and Marie look like depraved sinners. John Gilbert, the Minneapolis Tribune&rsquo;s conscientious hockey writer, tells me that no more than two North Stars smoke. And do they know how to celebrate! After they swept Toronto in the opening round, the Minnesota players had a few beers and dinner, then returned to their hotel rooms to watch Buffalo play Vancouver.The North Stars are proving that nice guys can win hockey games. Their series with Montreal featured superb hockey, with the emphasis on skating, not socking. When the North Stars arrived in Philadelphia aboard Air Euphoria, they were greeted by the Flyers, who, despite their new image as a skating team, can still religiously practice the ritual of laying on the lumber.<h2>Matched Hit For Hit</h2>ALL THE NORTH Stars did in their semifinal opener was match the Flyers hit for hit, and then outscore the stunned home team, 6-5. From there on, the series was all downhill for Minnesota, thanks largely to some brilliant goaltending by Phil Myre and a sudden power-play affliction that had, until the semifinals, made life miserable for the Flyers.As the semifinal series moved along, it appeared the North Stars&rsquo; biggest problem was lack of experience. The Flyers have too many players who know what the Stanley Cup grind is all about, players who don&rsquo;t rattle when 15,000 people are rooting with all their hearts and lungs against you. The North Stars also have their share of these poised players, but, for many, this was the first time down the path where you seriously think about winning the Cup.As the baseball fans in Brooklyn used to say, &ldquo;wait &lsquo;til next year.&rdquo; By next year, the Smiths and Paynes and Christoffs and Har-tsburgs will have another season of NHL experience and then some wise-guy HOCKEY NEWS columnist won&rsquo;t point them to the John Anderson Longshot Tent when it&rsquo;s time to make fearless forecasts about the Stanley Cup.During the Philadelphia series, the prying press kept asking Minnesota senior citizens like Alan MacAdam if he was surprised by his club&rsquo;s accomplishments.<h2>Know How To Win</h2>PAUSING AS HE DOES to answer every question, the thoughtful 28-year-old MacAdam leaned on his cane and said, &ldquo;The biggest surprise to me this season was us finishing sixth. That was a pretty big jump. The thing you have to realize about most of our guys is, they may be young, but they were winners in every league they played in. They haven&rsquo;t been in this league as long as I have and not won. They know how to win and they want to win.&rdquo;Give much credit to general manager Lou Nanne and coach Glen Sonmor for assembling this bunch of teenage terrors. Both of these gentlemen are as unique as their team. In a sport where many general managers are grumpy and limit their thinking to the dimensions of a hockey rink, Nanne is enthusiastic and colorful. He is also shrewd. It has been said that Nanne can charm your socks off while lifting your wallet and maintain a perfect smile.Not long ago, all many people knew about Sonmor was that he coached the notorious WHA Birmingham Bulls, the biggest goon squad since Al Capone&rsquo;s gang skated in Chicago. But spend some time with Sonmor and you realize he is an innovative coach and an excellent motivator.When the North Stars were floundering on the road this season, Sonmor and assistant Murray Oliver held conferences with each player and asked them to explain their road failures. The answers gave the team new insight into their troubles and brought improvement&mdash;as anyone in Montreal can tell you. &#9632;

f0014-02

HOCKEY WORLD

<div class="byline">BY VARTAN KUPELIAN</div>DETROIT&mdash;The Red Wings&rsquo; initial off season &ldquo;re-evaluation&rdquo; in April resulted in a major overhaul of the front office and Louis J. Risi Jr., landed in the catbird seat.There was another re-evaluation last week in Detroit with owner Bruce Norris and Risi, the club&rsquo;s new executive vice-president and director of hockey operations, flying in from their home base in Miami. Moments after the conclusion of the day-long session, they were headed back.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just an evaluation&hellip;Now that the dust has settled, we&rsquo;ll see where we are and where we&rsquo;re going,&rdquo; said Ted Lindsay, coach and director of player personnel.The Wings hired a mystery coach&mdash;Bobby Kromm&mdash;three years ago. Now they have another mystery man running the front office.Risi, 43, is unknown to Detroit hockey fans. But there is little doubt he is in control. Both Lindsay and Jimmy Skinner will report directly to Risi.Risi is president of Norin Corp., a large industrial corporation controlled by Bruce Norris. He&rsquo;s also a senior officer and director of Norris Grain Co. His association with Norris began in 1969 and he admits his background in professional sports is limited.&ldquo;My background in hockey is strictly through the association of Norris Grain,&rdquo; said Risi, who has been the vice president of the Detroit hockey club for a &ldquo;number of years&rdquo;.&ldquo;My qualifications are basically from the business side. I&rsquo;m a professional business manager. As I say, I&rsquo;m president of Norris Corp. I&rsquo;m a professional executive and the team operations, which I&rsquo;m sure the fans are most interested in, are for all practical purposes under the direction of Mr. Norris. Coaching, of course, will be under the direction of Ted and Jim Skinner.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s curious to many that Norris would turn to a non-hockey man, and a non-sporting person, to remedy an ailing sports franchise, but Risi doesn&rsquo;t share that opinion.&ldquo;Bruce certainly is a hockey man and a sporting man. He has devoted a great deal of his energy, certainly his great attention and love to the Red Wings,&rdquo; Risi said.&ldquo;He will be very much involved. So when you say he&rsquo;s bringing in a guy who hasn&rsquo;t spent his whole life in hockey&hellip;he&rsquo;s there and he has spent his life in hockey. I think he was looking for someone to work from the front office and give it the organization he felt it needed.&rdquo;Risi will continue to live in Miami, which appears to be an awkward situation since he will be taking over a great many of Lindsay&rsquo;s duties.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to spend a great deal of time in Detroit,&rdquo; said Risi.The re-organization, he continued, wasn&rsquo;t a slap at Lindsay. Risi explained, &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s what Bruce said to me: He was very disappointed with the season and not satisfied with the season before. I really think the motivation wasn&rsquo;t fingerpointing at all but a case of we didn&rsquo;t get the job done. At the core of the whole thing, his primary concern, is that he felt a major organizational change had to be made. Bruce is not going to tolerate the kind of performance the team had. He wants a winner.&rdquo; &#9632;

Mystery Man Risi Pilots Red Wings

<div class="byline">BY CHARLIE HALPIN </div><div class="byline">BY BUD GALLMEIER</div><div class="byline">BY TOM LOBAUGH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011040/4291750-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="977" height="1149"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bill Lochead: Player of the Year</figcaption></div>Bill Lochead came out of junior hockey six years ago touted as a sure-fire National Hockey Leaguer with a blazing shot and a reputation as a prolific goal scorer.Things never quite worked out for the blond left winger but now there are signs he may finally be on the road back to the big time.Lochead, who scored an incredible 46 goals in only 68 games this past season with the New Haven Nighthawks of the American Hockey League, has won recognition from THE HOCKEY NEWS as its 1980 Minor League Player of the Year.According to most hockey scouts, the 25-year-old former junior scoring phenom was undoubtedly the best player in the minors this season: The Nighthawks&rsquo; winger led his team in scoring and goals and tied for second in assists with team captain Tom Colley. He also set a team and an AHL record for hat tricks by scoring three goals in a game seven times this season. In between he topped the Hawks in career hat tricks, with nine, led in winning goals, seven, tying goals, two, power play goals, 13, and first goals of the game, five.Lochead, who plays left wing despite having a right hand shot, ended up fifth in the overall AHL point scoring race this season but finished second in goal production. If the parent New York Rangers hadn&rsquo;t recalled Lochead for a stretch near the end of the schedule, he might have won the scoring crown.Before being called up, he was the No. 2 point scorer in the AHL and for a six-week stretch was the hottest goal scorer anywhere in hockey, amassing four goals in one game and a half dozen hat tricks.Scoring goals is what got Lochead into the NHL in 1974-75, when the Detroit Red Wings made him their No. 1 draft pick. After nearly five ill-fated years with the Detroit organization, during which time he played in both the minors and the NHL, Lochead fell out of favor and was claimed by Colorado on waivers in the winter of 1978. When the Rockies picked up the NHL rights to goaltender Hardy Astrom from the Rangers, Lochead was a throw-in on the deal.He started the last season with the Rangers, but failed to produce in training camp and was shuffled off to New Haven, where he spent the entire season except for a brief call-up by the Rangers late in the year.Lochead has really never come into his own as a big league scorer despite all his talents (69 in 323 NHL games). However, his 46-goal performance this year with New Haven has stimulated new interest in his ability to play at the top. He was chosen first All Star left winger and shared the AHL&rsquo;s Most Valuable player award with two other players in the annual coaches&rsquo; All Star selections this year.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-02813/4291743-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="967" height="1150"><figcaption class="caption-body">Doug McKay: Coach of the Year</figcaption></div>It&rsquo;s been an exciting year for Kalamazoo K-Wings&rsquo; coach Doug McKay, his first as coach in the International Hockey League. It is also his maiden voyage beyond the junior level.McKay got the surprise of his coaching life when he was named Minor League Coach of the Year by THE HOCKEY NEWS.&ldquo;Minor League Coach of the Year?&rdquo; McKay exclaimed when informed of his award. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t even know such an award existed!&rdquo;Well, it does, and McKay beat out coaches from three other minor leagues&mdash;Central, American, and Eastern&mdash;to win the honor.The 50-year-old former Detroit Red Wing assumed quite a challenge when he was given the dual role of general manager and coach in Kalamazoo. The K-Wings won the Turner Cup championship last season, which didn&rsquo;t leave much room for McKay to improve the Kalamazoo image.But he did. Despite some critical injuries in a roster which flip-flopped considerably between Kalamazoo and Adirondack (the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; American League affiliate), McKay built a consistent winner. Kalamazoo set an IHL record for undefeated games, notching 15 in a row. Kalamazoo also won the overall league championship, a title which eluded McKay&rsquo;s predecessor, Bill Purcell.McKay has taken the K-Wings to the finals of the Turner Cup playoffs for the second straight year and is no worse than an even bet to give the K-Wings their second straight playoff championship. Kalamazoo survived a gruelling series with Port Huron in the semifinals despite losing star goalie Larry Lozinski in the fifth game of the competition. Lozinski suffered a knee injury and is through for the season.McKay, who was a member of the 1949-50 Stanley Cup Red champion Red Wings, retired from hockey in 1956. But after his sons grew up, he decided to give coaching a try and ended up behind the benches of various junior and senior teams in Canada, where his efforts attracted the attention of Detroit&rsquo;s Ted Lindsay.When Purcell was elevated to the coaching job at Adirondack, McKay got the job in Milwaukee. One of McKay&rsquo;s sons, Doug Jr., is currently playing with the K-Wings; in fact, he won the fourth game of the semifinal series against Port Huron with a goal in the second overtime.But McKay isn&rsquo;t ready to take any bows just yet. He won&rsquo;t be completely happy until the K-Wings complete the IHL&rsquo;s double crown.&ldquo;Fort Wayne has my attention now,&rdquo; McKay said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m honored and thrilled by my selection as Minor League Coach of the Year. But I&rsquo;ll be a lot happier and feel more worthy if we win the Turner Cup as well.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03629/4291736-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="971" height="1149"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jim Devellano: Executive of the Year</figcaption></div>Jimmy Devellano, 37, who combines the jobs of chief scout for the National Hockey League&rsquo;s New York Islanders and general manager of the Indianapolis Checkers of the Central League, has been named Minor League Executive of the Year by THE HOCKEY NEWS.The Checkers became the CHL&rsquo;s most successful franchise in their first year of operation. The Islanders shifted their farm operation from Fort Worth to Indianapolis late last summer and drew 193,948 fans for 40 regular-season games&mdash;an average of 4,849.Devellano was quick to give credit for the successful operation to his Checker front-office staff, especially Cheryl Carter, director of public relations, who heads the office when Jimmy is out of town&mdash;which was two weeks out of four during the regular season.Besides Cheryl, the staff includes coach Bert Marshall; Greg Hallaman, who was hired as season ticket director, but also became the club broadcaster; Kathy Holman, secretary; Rick Burns, ticket salesman, and Mike Pornes, who assists on the broadcasts.&ldquo;We had two strikes against us, when we opened up here,&rdquo; Jimmy said at the close of the season. &ldquo;The first strike was that the Indianapolis Racers had failed here in the World Hockey Association. They left town owing a lot of money.&ldquo;Then, the second strike against us was the fact we were a minor league operation. The WHA had at least claimed to be a major league, and there were people in Indianapolis who were skeptical of the kind of hockey they&rsquo;d see in the Central League.&ldquo;Believe me, that skepticism vanished after they had seen a few CHL games. It&rsquo;s exciting hockey. But we stay away from the term &lsquo;minor league&rsquo; in our advertising and promotions.&ldquo;It was a blow to us when the Cincinnati franchise folded after a couple of months. We had built up quite a rivalry between the two cities.&ldquo;That left us pretty isolated in the Central League. Tulsa is our closest CHL rival, and that&rsquo;s 700 miles away.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0015-01

Lochead, McKay, Devellano Tops In Minor Leagues

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04474/4291781-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="902" height="448"></div> &#9632;

f0015-04

NEWS’ AWARDS WINNERS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-01891/4291812-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"></div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKS &#9632;

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NHL PLAYOFF SCORING

<div class="byline">BY MIKE DENNIS</div>TORONTO&mdash;The shorthanded goal. It&rsquo;s as exciting as a home run in baseball and as rare as a blocked kick in football. But in this year&rsquo;s National Hockey League playoffs it&rsquo;s almost become commonplace: Shorthanded goals are popping up all over.While it&rsquo;s true that there were more playoff games this year because of the involvement of 16 teams in post-season play, it is also safe to say that never before have so many teams scored while being at a manpower disadvantage. Through the first three rounds of the playoffs, no less than 22 shorthanded goals were recorded.Bryan Trottier set the tone in the Islanders&rsquo; first game of the quarter final series against the Los Angeles Kings when he scored two shorthanded goals in the second period, the first time a player had ever scored two goals in the same period when his team was a man short. Dave Keon, then with the Toronto Maple Leafs, had been the only other player to have scored two shorthanded goals in the same game in previous NHL history.A total of nine shorthanded goals were scored in the eight preliminary round series with two goals scored by the same team on two different occasions. Los Angeles rebounded from giving up Trottier&rsquo;s pair with shorthanded scores by Mike Murphy and Andre St. Laurent in Game Two of their series, while the Boston Bruins received shorthanded goals from Bob Miller and Dwight Foster in the second period of their Game Four win over Pittsburgh. The New York Rangers&rsquo; Dave Maloney had one in Game Two against Atlanta in a winning effort, while Edmonton&rsquo;s Mark Messier and Hartford&rsquo;s Pat Boutette scored shorthanded goals in Game Three of their series against Philadelphia and Montreal, respectively, both losing causes.In the quarterfinal round, five more shorthanded goals were scored. The Islanders&rsquo; Lome Henning knocked in the first of his two shorthanded tallies in Game Two against Boston; Reg Leach scored Philadelphia&rsquo;s first shorthanded goal of the playoffs in Game Two against the Rangers and teammate Bob Dailey added one in Game Three; Doug Jarvis broke the North Stars&rsquo; backs with his shorthanded insurance tally in Montreal&rsquo;s 6-2 win in the fifth game of their quarterfinal and Minnesota&rsquo;s Tom Younghans returned the favor in Game Seven of the series when his shorthanded goal off a giveaway by Montreal goalie Denis Herron allowed the Stars to tie the Habs and eventually eliminate them.The semifinal round produced a total of seven more shorthanded goals scored in five of the first eight games, including three in one contest, matching the NHL record set previously by Toronto and Detroit in 1947 and the New York Rangers and Boston in 1958.At 14:39 of the second period of Game Three against Philadelphia, Younghans scored his second shorthanded goal for Minnesota and 55 seconds later teammate Tim Young also scored for the North Stars. However, the Flyers&rsquo; Bill Barber decided the issue with his fourth goal of the game, a shorthanded score. It also marked the second game in a row in which Barber had scored with the Flyers playing at a manpower disadvantage.Meanwhile the Islanders were also scoring shorthanded goals in two of their first three encounters in the semifinal round. Bob Bourne broke away from the Sabres to score on Don Edwards and tie the score at 1-1 in Game One. From there, the Isles posted a 4-1 win. And in Game Three, Henning had the game-winner when his shorthanded score early in the third period gave the Isles a 5-2 lead in their 7-4 triumph over the Sabres.Bourne&rsquo;s shorthanded goal at the 19:00 mark of game six sealed the Sabres&rsquo; fate and allowed the Isles to tie the NHL record of six playoff goals in one year, set last season by the Rangers.Don Luce scored Buffalo&rsquo;s first shorthanded goal of the playoffs in Game Four of the semis, launching the Sabres to a comeback win over the Islanders.The individual record for short-handed goals in a playoff year, three, held by Derek Sanderson when he played for Boston in 1969, was tied by Barber when he scored against the North Stars with the Flyers short a man in Game Five.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-01783/4291843-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="572" height="660"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bryan Trottier of the Islanders set an NHL record by scoring two shorthanded goals in one period during the preliminary round.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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1980 Playoffs Bonanza For Shorthanded Scorers

<h2>Preliminary Round</h2>Game One&mdash;Bryan Trottier, Islanders (2)*, vs. L.A.Game Two&mdash;Dave Maloney, Rangers, vs. Atlanta; Mike Murphy, Andre St. Laurent, Kings, vs. New York IslandersGame Three&mdash;Pat Boutette, Whalers, vs. Montreal; Mark Messier, Oilers, vs. PhiladelphiaGame Four&mdash;Bob Miller, Dwight Foster, Boston, vs. Pittsburgh<h2>Quarterfinal Round</h2>Game Two&mdash;Lorne Henning, Islanders, vs. BostonGame Two&mdash;Reg Leach, Flyers, vs. New York RangersGame Three&mdash;Bob Daily, Flyers, vs. New York RangersGame Five&mdash;Doug Jarvis, Canadiens, vs. MinnesotaGame Seven&mdash;Tom Younghans, North Stars, vs. Montreal<h2>Semifinal Round</h2>Game One&mdash;Bob Bourne, Islanders, vs. BuffaloGame Two&mdash;Bill Barber, Flyers, vs. MinnesotaGame Three&mdash;Bill Barber, Flyers, vs. Minnesota; Tom Younghans, Tim Young, North Stars, vs. Philadelphia; Lorne Henning, Islanders, vs. BuffaloGame Four&mdash;Don Luce, Sabres, vs. IslandersGame Five&mdash;Bill Barber, Flyers, vs. MinnesotaGame Six&mdash;Bob Bourne, Islanders, vs. Buffalo* New NHL record of two shorthanded goals in a period &#9632;

1980 Shorthanded Playoff Goals

<h2>Preliminary Round</h2>Doug Lecuyer (Chi) 12:34Bobby Clarke (Pha) 8:06Al MacAdam (Minn) 0:32Yvon Lambert (Mtl) 0:29Ken Morrow (Isl) 6:55Steve Vickers (Ran) 0:33Ken Linseman (Pha) 23:56<h2>Quarter-Finals</h2>Clark Gillies (Isl) 1:02Bob Bourne (Isl) 1:24Terry O&rsquo;Reilly (Bost) 17:13<h2>Semi-Finals</h2>Bob Nystrom (1st) 21:20 &#9632;

Overtime Winners

<div class="byline">BY CHARLIE HALPIN</div>TORONTO&mdash;Probably nothing is more electrifying in playoff hockey than a game-winning goal in sudden death overtime.Because the National Hockey League doesn&rsquo;t have overtime in regularly scheduled games, the spectre of a player scoring the sudden-death overtime goal to win a playoff game or in some instances, the actual Stanley Cup, raises the pulse of the average hockey fan. Most times it is worth the price of admission alone to be around when it happens and the NHL playoff record book clearly shows it has been a pretty common occurrence over the years.The 1980 Stanley Cup playoffs have already produced 110 overtime games, well above the normal for Stanley Cup competition. For the record, there were seven overtime decisions in the 29 preliminary round games this year, three in the 21 quarterfinal round games and one in the semifinals. Last year there were 11 for the entire NHL playoffs, four in the semis and one in the final series, but the league also had fewer playoff games.Overtime has been in effect during Stanley Cup playoff games since 1927, when the late Howie Morenz of the Montreal Canadiens scored the first extra period goal ever against the old Montreal Maroons on March 31, 1927. Since that day there have been 206 goals scored in overtime, a total that has been increased by the 11 gamewinning scores through the first three rounds of the 1980 playoffs.The one team most NHL foes fear most when a playoff gets to the overtime stage is the Montreal Canadiens. They had won 39 of 76 overtime games down through the years, while the Toronto Maple Leafs had pulled off 33 overtime period victories in 67 playoff encounters.Maurice &ldquo;The Rocket&rdquo; Richard was one of the most prolific goal scorers of his time and he was especially deadly in overtime games. The retired Canadiens&rsquo; great still leads the NHL in overtime goals with six. A half dozen other NHLers have three to their credit, including Bobby Clarke, Terry O&rsquo;Reilly, Danny Gare, Rene Robert, Jacques Lemaire, now retired from the NHL, and probaibly the most infamous of them all, Mel &ldquo;Sudden Death&rdquo; Hill, who had the unique distinction of scoring all three of his overtime goals in the same series for the 1938-39 Boston Bruins against the New York Rangers. It is a performance that has never been equalled in NHL history.Clarke and O&rsquo;Reilly have each counted an overtime winner in the current playdowns. So has Doug Lecuyer of Chicago, Al MacAdam of Minnesota, Yvon Lambert of Montreal, Ken Morrow, Clark Gilllies, Bob Nystrom and Bob Bourne of the Islanders, Steve Vickers of the Rangers, and Ken Linseman of the Philadelphia Flyers.An interesting pattern has developed in modern day overtime hockey games in that most of them end very quickly. In the 11 games played this year, four have ended abruptly, lasting less than a minute. Two others were over in less than two minutes and only two games of the 11 went beyond one 20-minute period. Linseesman scored after 23:56 of overtime for the Flyers in the opening round against Edmonton Oilers. In 11 overtime games last season, only one went past the one period mark.However, it hasn&rsquo;t always been that way in the Stanley Cup playoffs. In fact, history is full of overtime scoring exploits that sometimes kept the fans sitting in their seats until the small hours of the morning.For instance, in March, 1936, the old Montreal Maroons and Detroit Red Wings started playing on March 24 and didn&rsquo;t finish until 2:25 a.m. on March 25. Total playing time for the game was 176 minutes and 30 seconds. Hec Kil-rea scored the winning goal after 116 minutes and 30 seconds of overtime. Who won the game? Detroit by the unbelievable score of 1-0. The two goaltenders, Normie Smith of Detroit and Lome Chabot of Montreal, went all the way in the nets before Kilrea won it at 16:30 of the sixth overtime period.We&rsquo;ve talked about the longest goal; how about the shortest? That was scored by Jean-Paul Paris of the Islanders in the 1975 semi-finals against the Rangers. Parise connected after only 11 seconds of overtime while most of the fans were still out replenishing their supply of beer and hot dogs. &#9632;

Fans Enthralled By Overtime Goals

<div class="byline">BY PAT DOYLE</div>WINNIPEG&mdash;Billy Heindl sat in his wheelchair and tried to swallow the large lump in his throat.&ldquo;Believe me,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;to somebody that&rsquo;s been down, you don&rsquo;t come back alone. Everybody connected with this venture I call a friend.&rdquo;There were 15,119 of Billy Heindl&rsquo;s friends sitting in the pews of the Winnipeg Arena on the night of April 25, and they had come to watch an exhibition hockey game between a reinforced Canadian National Team (1960s vintage) and a group of past and present National Hockey League stars.It was billed as the Billy Heindl Benefit Night and the main attraction was the sight of Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky playing on the same team, a team, incidentally, which dropped an 8-6 decision to the Nats.It mattered little, though, who won this game, because this was a night for hockey to help out one of its own who had fallen on hard times.Billy Heindl is at 33, a paraplegic because of a suicide attempt six months ago, when he couldn&rsquo;t cope with personal problems and the adjustment from professional hockey to everyday life.This venture was Orr&rsquo;s brainchild but, really, he only planted the seed and a group of Winnipeggers nurtured it to fruition.&ldquo;We thought it would go well but the response was unbelievable,&rdquo; said Orr. &ldquo;I just sat back in Chicago, made a few phone calls and the Winnipeg volunteers took over. They did the leg work. Winnipeg should be proud.&rdquo;Because of the diligence of Puchniak and his committee, more than $80,000 was put into the Heindl Trust Fund.Orr prefers to underplay his own role in the overall scheme of things, but it can be said without fear of contradiction that there wouldn&rsquo;t have been 15,119 people in the Arena if he hadn&rsquo;t come along for the show.John Puchniak headed the volunteer ticket blitz for the game and he came away convinced anything can be done if handled properly.&ldquo;This event proved one thing,&rdquo; he offered. &ldquo;If properly organized, anything can be accomplished. For me, it was a definite challenge. Everybody I talked to said it couldn&rsquo;t be done. We motivated the community.&rdquo;Because of the diligence of Puchniak and his committee, more than $80,000, including a donation of $13,492 from Oshawa and a check for $1,000 from the Canadian Olympic team, has been put into the Heindl Trust Fund.As for the game itself, the old Nats won with two goals each from Fran Huck, Gerry Pinder and Bill Lesuk and one apiece off the sticks of Steve King and VeliPekka Keto-la, the big Finnish center who once played with the Winnipeg Jets.Bob Birdsell, Peter Sullivan, Barry Merrell, Wally Mozak, Bobby Leiter and Morris Lukowich replied for the losing pro team.Neither Gretzky nor Orr got a sniff.The game also featured the unlikely sight of former Montreal Canadiens great goaltender, Ken Dryden, playing forward.&ldquo;When I retired from the Canadiens,&rdquo; Dryden explained, &ldquo;I said I would never play hockey again. I don&rsquo;t intend to put the pads on again.&rdquo;Another goaltender, Wayne Stephenson, came home from Sweden especially for the Heindl Benefit, saying, &ldquo;Billy and I played hockey and football with and against each other. I had to be here.&rdquo; Both Stephenson and Heindl played with the Nats while the team was based here. He was one of 48 players who showed up for the game.There was also a special Showdown feature between periods and Ketola won it over Orr, Gretzky, Huck and Morris Lukowich, among others. Ketola scored on four of five shots to edge Lukowich.&ldquo;The game was bigger than Billy Heindl itself,&rdquo; Heindl said after it was all over. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tribute to hockey, all levels, the committee, the city of Winnipeg, anybody that had anything to do with it.&rdquo;Doug Smail, a feisty left winger out of the University of North Dakota, has agreed to terms of a multi-year contract with Winnipeg Jets. A native of Moose Jaw, Sask., Smail spent three years at UND and was a member of the team which captured the NCAA title this past season. &#9632;

Winnipegers Open Hearts For Heindl Benefit

<h2>BILL BARBER&hellip;Philadelphia Flyers</h2>The Minnesota North Stars finger Bill Barber as the Flyer who did them in in their semifinal playoff series. To the Stars, Barber was simply too much to handle.The 27-year-old left winger scored a total of nine goals in the five-game series and his scoring exploits proved insurmountable as the Flyers ousted Minnesota 4-1 to advance into the Stanley Cup finals against the Islanders.Barber, who was blanked by the North Stars in the series opener, came back with one goal in game two and then exploded for four in the third game to put the Flyers ahead in the series to stay. He added two more in each of the fourth and fifth games to give him a total of 11, which, as he entered the finals, was tops in the 1980 playdowns. &#9632;

NHL Player Of The Week

<h2>Perreault A Yank?</h2>BUFFALO&mdash;Gilbert Perreault has spent so much time playing hockey in the United States that he&rsquo;s thinking seriously of becoming a U.S. citizen.The 29-year-old center of the Sabres and his wife, Carmen, have filed for permanent residence in the U.S. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been here for 10 years,&rdquo; said Perreault. &ldquo;This is my home and we have a lot of friends here. We want to stay.&rdquo; The Sabre star&rsquo;s two-year-old son, Mark, is already a U.S. citizen because he was born in Buffalo.Perreault, who hails from Victoriaville, Que., lives in the Buffalo suburb of Williamsville during the NHL season. Both the Perreaults showed up at an immigration service office to take out their U.S. papers and Perreault said he will make a decision on becoming a full American citizen in the very near future.<h2>Rockies Want Brooks</h2>DENVER&mdash;Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks may still wind up as the man behind the bench of the Colorado Rockies in the NHL next season.Speculation that Brooks may yet land an NHL job despite signing a tax-free $75,000-per-year contract to coach in Switzerland, has gained momentum, according to a story by Donald Ramsay in the Toronto Globe and Mail.The former U.S. gold-medal winning coach will likely be offered a two-year contract by the NHL Rockies on the condition that he will be able to negotiate a release from his contract with the Davos Hockey Club of Switzerland.If the offer is accepted by Brooks, the Rockies would release present coach Don Cherry from the final year of his two-year contract.The Rockies&rsquo; president, Armand Pohan, is reportedly trying to get Brooks freed from his Swiss deal, but Brooks&rsquo; lawyer, Art Kaminsky of New York, would only say, &ldquo;No comment beyond the fact I&rsquo;ve talked with the Rockies.&rdquo; Kaminsky then said that Brooks&rsquo; contract in Switzerland must be first dealt with if Colorado wants the Olympic coach to replace Cherry.Cherry has a one-year guarantee and a two-year option remaining on his existing contract with the Rockies, who pay him in excess of $150,000 a season. All Cherry would say is that the whole situation was becoming irritating to him and his family and he wondered what was actually going on with Pohan and the Rockies.<h2>Olympian Signs</h2>LOS ANGELES&mdash;Now the Canadian Olympic team is getting into the act&mdash;the signing act, that is.Paul Pageau, Canada&rsquo;s top goalie in the Olympics at Lake Placid and the Quebec Major Junior League&rsquo;s Player of the Year as a member of the Shawinigan Cataractes, has signed a professional contract with the Los Angeles Kings. The Olympic team&rsquo;s other goalie, Bob Dupuis, signed earlier with the Edmonton Oilers.Three other Canadian Olympians have also signed with NHL clubs: Defenseman Tim Watters with the Winnipeg Jets, and forwards Paul MacLean with the St. Louis Blues and Kevin Maxwell with the Minnesota North Stars. Another player, Glenn Anderson, is also contemplating signing with the Oilers.<h2>Burnaby Winners</h2>VANCOUVER&mdash;The Burnaby Lakers brought home the Hardy Cup as Canada&rsquo;s intermediate A hockey champions for 1979-80.The Lakers, who represented the West, defeated the Fredericton Capitals, the Eastern representatives, by sweeping the Atlantic seaboard champions in a best-of-five final series. Burnaby won by scores of 6-5, 7-5 and 4-1.<h2>Canada Blasted</h2>MOSCOW&mdash;Canada may have written itself off as an international hockey competitor as the result of cancelling the 1980 Canada Cup series.The Soviet news agency Tass said the International Ice Hockey Federation will demand an explanation from Canada for the cancellation. &ldquo;It is now becoming difficult to trust the trans-oceanic partners to organize international competitions,&rdquo; said Tass.The Tass report did not bother to explain that the organizers of the Canada Cup called the tournament off because the NHL players who make up the Canadian and U.S. teams, felt they should support the Canadian and American amateurs who have been required to boycott the Olympic Games in Moscow this summer in retaliation for the Soviet intervention into Afghanistan.<h2>Dionne Gets Award</h2>LOS ANGELES&mdash;NHL scoring champion Marcel Dionne is the recipient of the Lester Pearson Award as the player who contributed the most to hockey in the 1979-80 season.Presented by the NHL Players&rsquo; Association, the award was given to Dionne for his outstanding year, in which he led the league scoring race most of the season and had to stave off a stretch challenge from Wayne Gretzky of Edmonton, to take the scoring title on a better goals-scored average. Both players ended deadlocked with 137 points but Dionne had a superior goal record of 53 to 51.<h2>Spokane Cup Champs</h2>SPOKANE&mdash;Winning the Allan Cup is becoming old hat for the Spokane Flyers of the Western International Hockey League.The Flyers won the 1980 event the Eastern titleholders, and it marked the fourth time they&rsquo;ve won the cup. Spokane&rsquo;s previous victories came in 1970, 1972 and 1976.The Flyers toyed with the Ontario senior champions in the best-of-seven series winning all four games to sweep to the title. George Buat, Jim Stuart, Don Burgess, Mike Panteluk and Garth Morgan were Spokane&rsquo;s goalgetters in the final two games. Morgan scored twice in game three, which the Flyers won 5-2, and Panteluk counted the game-winning goal in the windup game as Spokane won 4-3 to take the cup.<h2>Butterfield Honored</h2>TORONTO&mdash;Jack Butterfield, the man who has been president of the American Hockey League for the past 14 years, has been elected to Hockey&rsquo;s Hall of Fame.Clarence Campbell, chairman of the selection committee, announced Butterfield&rsquo;s election. &ldquo;This is a most deserving honor for a man of high ideals and integrity,&rdquo; said Campbell.Butterfield, whose uncle, Eddie Shore, preceded him into the Hall of Fame, was elected as a builder. He will join other inductees who will be announced during the summer hockey meetings in Montreal for induction into the Hall next Sept. 8 in Toronto.The 60-year-old Butterfield is considered one of the most innovative and effective administrators in the game today. He has personally been credited with keeping the AHL alive in recent years despite the intrusion of the WHA and expansion of th NHL.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01764/4292039-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="905" height="1393"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Minnesota North Stars paid the price in the tough semifinal playoff series, losing two of their bright young skaters to injuries. Hot scoring Steve Christoff, left, went out with cracked ribs from the heavy going against the Philadelphia Flyers, while defenseman Curt Giles sustained an ankle injury that sidelined him for the final game with the Flyers. Giles was also injured in the quarterfinals against Montreal. (Photo by Bruce Bennett)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02613/4292032-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="934" height="1396"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03456/4292025-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="1839" height="1340"><figcaption class="caption-body">Has veteran goaltender Gerry Cheevers played his last game in net for Boston? Rumors persist that Cheevers will be the Bruins&rsquo; coach next season, although the 39-year-old longtime Boston star denies he has been approached about the job. GM Harry Sinden has said he will not coach next year and will name a successor over the summer months. (Photos by Ian MacAlpine)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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SLAPSHOTS

DALLAS&mdash;When a group of grade school children were given the first parts of several well-known cliches and asked to fill in what they thought was the second part of each, here&rsquo;s what they had to say:For &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t put all your eggs,&rdquo;the kids responded, &ldquo;In the microwave.&rdquo;For &ldquo;Eat, drink, and,&rdquo;the kids responded, &ldquo;Go to the bathroom.&rdquo;And for, &ldquo;All is fair in&rsquo;&rsquo; the kids naturally responded &ldquo;HOCKEY.&rdquo; &#9632;

From The Mouths Of Babes…

<div class="byline">BY MIKE DENNIS</div>TORONTO&mdash;There&rsquo;s been an ungodly silence in Toronto since the Minnesota North Stars sent the Leafs scurrying for their summer vacations on April 12, save for a few salvos fired off by owner Harold Ballard mentioning that Maple Leaf Gardens wouldn&rsquo;t be the hosts for any Soviet hockey players, but it all may have been just the calm before the storm.June 1 is the deadline date for players who have not signed contracts to become free agents, which means goaltender Mike Palmateer is less than a month away from striking out on his own after having gone through the past season on the option year of a contract which paid him in the vicinity of $70,000 per season.Palmateer is seeking a longterm contract, preferably five years at around $200,000 or so per annum and the removal of the &ldquo;buy-out&rdquo; clause, which allows employers to purchase the contract from the player for considerably less than the terms of the contract.What makes June 1 such an important day for the Leafs is that although they are resigned to the fact that Palmateer will be applying his talents elsewhere next season, they would like to be compensated for the redhead&rsquo;s departure, a right to which they are entitled until he becomes a free agent without retrictions on the first of June.The North Stars might be willing to part with two forwards and a goalie in return for Sittler and Palmateer.Thus, while general manager Punch Imlach has been eyeballing the National Hockey League playoffs, he&rsquo;s undoubtedly been talking trade with any number of teams that might be interested in a player of Palmateer&rsquo;s calibre.Now enter Darryl Sittler and the rumor mill begins to crank up. It&rsquo;s no secret that several teams are going to be interested in a 30-year-old (when next season starts) center who makes a habit of leading his team in scoring each year and is among the league leaders as well, and who has several other qualities which place him in the elite of the NHL.One of these teams is the Minnesota North Stars who, while they have a nucleus of young, talented players, would certainly appreciate the leadership provided by a Sittler. And Imlach, who doesn&rsquo;t care for the kind of sway that Sittl-er commands in the Leaf dressing room, might not be too adverse to arranging for a change of location for both he and Palmateer in exchange for a package of Minnesota players.It is thought that the North Stars, who are deep in the center position already, would be willing to part with one of their pivots, plus perhaps another forward and one of their goalies in return for Sittler and Palmateer.After watching the performances of goalies Gilles Meloche and Gary Edwards of the North Stars in the playoffs you might wonder why the Minnesotans would be willing to displace either of them, but Palmateer, at 26, is four years younger than Meloche and six less than Edwards.Others who may not be in Im-lach&rsquo;s plans for long include defenseman Ian Turnbull, who labored through an unusually languid season of peaks and valleys, mostly the latter, and winger Dan Maloney, the hard-rock forward whose determination and drive are unchallenged. However Maloney, nicknamed &ldquo;Snowshoes&rdquo; for his less than graceful skating style, may not be suited to play the type of free-flowing style that the Leafs appear to be seeking.And with less emphasis on the robust checking and physical game that played a big part in the Leafs of just a couple of years ago, Maloney, whose presence is a comfort to teammates who like to go into the corners and come out with the assurance that they won&rsquo;t be the victims of any cheapshots, may be expendable.With no first-round draft choice in the June proceedings, the Leafs will have to wait until the 25th choice overall before they get a chance to improve their roster.Last season underaged Laurie Boschman was the 10th pick overall and made the team as a regular. In addition, goalie Vince Tremblay was another underage choice of the Leafs who saw some action with the club and the Leafs are obviously hoping for players in this summer&rsquo;s draft who can do the same.A trade here or there before the draft could improve Toronto&rsquo;s chances of being in a position to select such a player.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01599/4292094-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="576" height="1087"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Palmateer will display his aggressive style of goaltending in another NHL locale next year.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Leafs Anxious To Unload Sittler and Palmateer

<div class="byline">BY ARNOLD IRISH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01448/4292125-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dick Lamby is one of the leading contenders in the Blues &lsquo;farm system for promotion to the big club as a full-time defenseman.</figcaption></div>ST. LOUIS&mdash;Unless somebody makes Emile Francis an offer he can&rsquo;t refuse, the St. Louis Blues are likely to stand pat in the offseason.That&rsquo;s what the club&rsquo;s president and general manager said when he surfaced for air briefly during a series of board and staff meetings at the checkerdome.&ldquo;We made more changes last year than anybody,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;We cut back on our goals against, primarily due to the acquisition of Mike Liut in goal, and we brought the team&rsquo;s average age down.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re still looking in the same areas as before&mdash;defense and somebody to put the puck in the net.&ldquo;At this point, trading gets difficult because everybody wants Bernie Federko, Brian Sutter, Wayne Babych and Liut. And we don&rsquo;t want to dip into our nucleus. Those are the people we want to build around.&rdquo;Are those four players untouchable.&ldquo;I hesitate to put any player in the untouchable category,&rdquo; Francis said, &ldquo;but to get any of those four, a team would have to give us a hell of a deal.&rdquo;Francis said the Blues&rsquo; most pressing need at the moment is a quality defenseman. &ldquo;If I were to bring out a shopping list, that would be the top priority,&rdquo; Francis said.&ldquo;Especially a righthanded defenseman, who could handle the point on our power play,&rdquo; he added, admitting the Blues might have to give up an arm and a leg to get such a commodity.If the Blues&rsquo; trading opportunities may be limited somewhat, Francis is optimistic that help is forthcoming from the farm system, especially after Salt Lake City finished first overall in the Central League and then won the playoffs from Fort Worth.&ldquo;Salt Lake is by far the youngest team we&rsquo;ve had in the Central League,&rdquo; Francis said, &ldquo;and we have some real good prospects down there. People like Rick Heinz, a goalie, and Dick Lamby, the defenseman we brought up at the end of the season.&rdquo;Francis said the Blues &ldquo;can&rsquo;t overlook&rdquo; Bob Hess, the former defenseman (nine goals with the Blues in each of his first two pro seasons) who was recycled into a forward last season with Salt Lake. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll take a long look at him,&rdquo; Francis said. Hess, 25, is still young enough to have an NHL future.&ldquo;Up front, we have a lot of confidence in Joe Mullen, a right wing who scored 40 goals for Sait Lake and was the Central League rookie of the year,&rdquo; Francis said. He added that Mullen was the leading scorer in the Central League playoffs, too.&ldquo;There are also people like Bobby Crawford, a right wing, and center Doug Palazzari. Little Dougie led the Central league in scoring, and nobody in our organization discounts the fact that he could make the big club.&rdquo;Francis also mentioned as prospects Bobby Simpson, a left wing who &ldquo;rates consideration,&rdquo; and Salt Lake teammates Neil Labatte, Steve Harrison and Kevin Willison, all defensemen.&ldquo;We also have Dennis Houle, a left wing who played at Port Huron and made so much progress that he could leap frog Salt Lake and make the Blues next season.&rdquo;Francis had hoped to put together a package of players and draft choices sufficient to land defenseman Dave Babych (Wayne&rsquo;s younger brother) in the draft, but nothing of that nature has materialized.&ldquo;The chances of our getting Dave Babych are nil,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;Montreal will select first with Colorado&rsquo;s pick. And the Canadiens don&rsquo;t deal players, they accumulate them.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Blues To Strengthen Club From Within Organization

<div class="byline">BY WAYNE WARRINER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01488/4292156-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bernie Johnston made the most of his chance to play in the NHL and recently signed a new contract with the Whalers. (Photo by Bruce Bennett)</figcaption></div>HARTFORD&mdash;With the June entry draft looming on the horizon, the Hartford Whalers were trying to get their stable in order. Barring the unforeseen, Whaler brass will likely go for the best hockey player available when it comes time for the eighth pick of the draft to be made. Last year director of hockey operations Jack Kelley and his staff had to wait until 18th selection before landing Brandon right winger Ray Allison.Allison was in and out of the lineup during the 1979-80 season but he began to show considerable promise in the latter stages. Coach Don Blackburn and Kelley are still very high on Ray&rsquo;s prospects and they have included him among a Contingent of young players who will be sent to power skating school prior to training camp.The feeling in Hartford is that an eighth pick ought to be able to step right into a regular role with the Whalers for the upcoming campaign. The Whalers still have all 10 picks&mdash;none have been traded away. So if all goes as well as last year&rsquo;s draft, the Hartford team expects to pick up some very promising youngsters.According to Kelley, the primary thrust this year will be toward centermen and some good size on defense.Young center Bernie Johnston recently signed a new three-year pact. Bernie had to ask for a chance to play with the parent club after toiling much of the first half of the the season with the Springfield farm team. But once Johnston moved into the lineup he quickly laid claim to the third line center slot. Bernie&rsquo;s another who&rsquo;ll be spending time power skating in August.High scoring centerman Mike Rogers (105 points) is due a sizeable raise in contract talks this summer. Although neither Mike nor management anticipates a great deal of difficulty coming to terms, that possibility still exists and the Whalers have to be prepared to fill such a void.Center position is further threatened by the possible retirement of Dave Keon. There&rsquo;s no doubt that the crafty veteran still has another year or more in his system but, at season&rsquo;s end, Dave gave every indication that he intended to hang them up for good. Although the Whalers are not pressuring him, they&rsquo;re hopeful that Keon will change his mind&mdash;just one more time.Another major concern of Kelley&rsquo;s is the status of Blaine Stoughton. &lsquo;Stash&rsquo;&mdash;of the highly productive Stach. Dash (Rogers), and Bash (Pat Boutette) line&mdash;is another who&rsquo;ll be in the Whaler office this summer for negotiations. Blaine&rsquo;s 56-goal season has put him at the head of the line for some big bucks.Just prior to the Whalers&rsquo; breakup for the summer, goalie Al Smith purchased two wheelbarrows and parked them in front of the locker room stalls of Stoughton and Rogers. Scrawled on each was the word NEGOTIATIONS! The message is clear.The Whalers will probably ante up the loot if the prolific duo are willing to settle for contracts of medium duration. Kelley is not enamored to long-term contracts.One long-term contract that the Whalers will honor is that of Gordie Howe. Grampa Gordie&rsquo;s duties will be carried out without skates from now on, however. It was quite apparent that management didn&rsquo;t want Gordie to play last season, but when it was over, coach Blackburn said&mdash;&rdquo;He didn&rsquo;t hurt us when he was out there.&rdquo;The point is, Gordie took a spot on the roster that one of the younger players might have used to some advantage. No matter, it won&rsquo;t happen this year. If Gordie doesn&rsquo;t announce his retirement, Kelley is the man who must tell him to do so&mdash;and Kelley doesn&rsquo;t look forward to that assignment at all.Another of the Whalers&rsquo; Hall of Famers, Bobby Hull, will decide later in the summer if he&rsquo;ll play another year. It all depends upon the condition of his finance, who was seriously injured in an automobile accident in March. &ldquo;If she doesn&rsquo;t need much attention. I&rsquo;ll surely play,&rdquo; says Bobby. The Whalers are confident that Hull can help them for another two years at least&mdash;if he makes it to training camp.Rumors swirling around at the end of the season had young defenseman Gordie Roberts and former Bruin blueliner Al Sims on the trading block, but Whaler brass said that no efforts had been made to move them nor had they received overtures from other teams.Kelley and Blackburn tripped to Sweden for the International Games in late April. An ulterior motive for going was to see if they could convince former Whaler defender Thommy Abrahamsson to agree to terms. Management has been trying for almost a year to lure Thommy A. back to Hartford.After months of negotiations the Whalers announced that they have given up any plans of continuing their farm team operation in nearby Springfield, Mass. Having operated the Springfield Indians under a lease arrangement for the 197980 season, the Whalers held an option to buy the whole operation.Apparently negotiations never came close to being successful. The reported asking price of $450,000 was too steep for the Whalers, who were somewhat unhappy with fan support as well. &#9632;

f0022-01

Whalers Looking To Build Around Centers, Defense

<div class="byline">BY FRED PIETILA</div>DENVER&mdash;in years past, it has been commonplace for Denver-area hockey fans to go into anxious late spring and summer months wondering what fate awaited them.Would they have a team to support the following year or not? And should they buy season tickets for a team for which the future is so uncertain?It wasn&rsquo;t expected to happen this off-season, but it has again&mdash;primarily because of the situation regarding the status of coach Don Cherry. Team president Armand Pohan said, among his many considerations, that the firing of Cherry was a possibility just after the season ended. The two men have met once since, ironed out some differences and were scheduled to meet again.But as the Stanley Cup finals began, the two still hadn&rsquo;t met for that second&mdash;and presumably decisive&mdash;time and the whole Rockies&rsquo; organization and the hockey community was caught in a holding pattern.For one thing, a season-ticket drive&mdash;which could have been quite successful if only more timely considering the interest Cherry helped create this season (an increase of about 50 per cent attendance)&mdash;was delayed because of the coaching situation.And efforts to put together a stronger radio network with a more powerful station were similarly halted. One of the larger stations which had shown interest was not anxious to get involved if Cherry did not return.The irony of the entire situation was that neither Pohan nor Cherry seemed particularly anxious about resolving the matter, once and for all.A report surfaced that the Rockies had contacted U.S. Olympic coach Herb Brooks. Pohan denied it, saying &ldquo;I&rsquo;m taking one thing at a time.&rdquo; And taking his time at it. (For an update on the Brooks situation, see Slapshots on page 19.)Meanwhile, Cherry remained optimistic that he&rsquo;d be back to fulfill the second guaranteed year of a four-year contract. The Rockies have an option, after two years, to retain Cherry for two more years. At a more pleasant time of the season, Pohan termed the contract &ldquo;four years, the way we look at it&rdquo;. But not now.&ldquo;Oh yeah, I think I&rsquo;ll be here. There&rsquo;ll be no problem,&rdquo; Cherry said. &ldquo;Do I sound worried?&rdquo; Cherry is confident he can get another head coaching job if he is fired by Pohan.Pohan watched the Rockies&rsquo; top farm club, the Fort Worth Texans, play their final two Central Hockey League championship series games against Salt Lake and was in the Denver area. The Texans dropped the best-of-seven series, four games to three, losing the finals 2-1.&ldquo;No, I&rsquo;m just out here to see a playoff game,&rdquo; Pohan said from Salt Lake City. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a unique experience for me.&rdquo;Pohan followed the Texans closely in the playoffs and was impressed by the play of Merlin Malinowski and Gary Dillon, the two leading scorers in the playoffs. 19-year-old Bobby Crawford (the player to be named later in the Barry Beck deal with the Rangers), defensemen Jack Hughes and Mario Giallonardo and goalie Michel Plasse, who played in all but one playoff game. &#9632;

Cherry And Rockies In Holding Pattern

<div class="byline">BY STEVE WINTER</div>LANDOVER&mdash;The paperwork has long since begun.With coach Gary Green scouring North America in search of potential future prospects in between Stanley Cup Playoff contests, general manager Max McNab has been &ldquo;beating the bushes&rdquo; in his Capital Centre office, with all efforts directed toward the upcoming June NHL entry draft:&ldquo;We know who we&rsquo;d like to have,&rdquo; McNab said, understandably reluctant to reveal names. &ldquo;Of course, it all depends on who the other teams pick, but we do know which players we&rsquo;d like to go after.&ldquo;Naturally, if some of those players are gone, we&rsquo;ll just go after the best players still available.&rdquo;McNab and Green will be sure of their selections when the time comes. To prepare, McNab left to join Green in Regina, Sask, for the final round of the Memorial Cup playoffs, where Regina, Cornwall and Gary Green&rsquo;s former club, Peterborough, met in a double round-robin tournament to determine the championship of Canadian Junior hockey.&ldquo;This offers us a good opportunity to meet some of the scouts, discuss the players we&rsquo;ll be watching and finalize some of our draft choices,&rdquo; McNab said.Back on the home front, McNab has been pleased with the play of the Hershey Bears, Washington&rsquo;s American Hockey League farm club, who reached the finals of the Calder Cup Playoffs against the New Brunswick Hawks.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had an extremely successful season in Hershey,&rdquo; McNab said. &ldquo;It has to be considered a real upset, our beating New Haven (the Nighthawks, New York Rangers farm club). Our young people are playing real well&mdash;guys like Tony Cassolato, Errol Rausse, Harvey Pocza, Lou Franceschetti, Greg Theberge and Dave Parro; and even some of the veterans, like Bobby Girard, Ron Lalonde and Doug Gibson.&ldquo;Any time you win like that, upsetting a team favored to beat you, it does wonders for your confidence.&rdquo;McNab expects some of that confidence to rub off on the parent club when training camp rolls around again next fall.&ldquo;Most all the players are gone now&mdash;headed their separate ways,&rdquo; McNab said; &ldquo;but there&rsquo;s definitely an air of confidence surrounding this team for the upcoming season. I know that they&rsquo;re all looking forward to it.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s certainly more confidence at this point than at the end of the last couple of years.&rdquo;CAPSHOTS: Pierre Bouchard, Bob Sirois, Roliie Boutin, Paul MacKinnon and Paul Mulvey took a couple weeks off to &ldquo;scout&rdquo; the warmer weather in Florida, with Mulvey, in particular sporting upon return, an un-Washington-like suntan.Pierce Gardner, the Capitals&rsquo; popular director of media relations, recently resigned from his post to pursue a career in filmmaking and scriptwriting.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01459/4292211-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="570" height="747"><figcaption class="caption-body">General manager Max McNab feels his Washington Capital players are anxious for next season to begin.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0023-01

Capitals’ Camp Exuding Confidence

<div class="byline">BY JIM MATHESON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01477/4292249-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="574" height="525"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02380/4292242-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="572" height="616"><figcaption class="caption-body">Oilers&rsquo; owner Peter Pocklington (above) says &ldquo;it&rsquo;s insanity&rdquo; to pay Pat Price (top) $120,000 a year.</figcaption></div>EDMONTON&mdash;They finished 16th in a 21-team league when it came to wins, losses, ties and points.But the Oilers almost led the National Hockey League in another stat. A big stat. Money brought in at the gate. Season ticket revenue.Owner Peter Pocklington, who was like a little boy in a candy store when his club made the playoffs in their first NHL season, was smiling smugly when the financial figures were released. The Oilers had more than $6 million in gate receipts, second only to the New York Rangers. While the fans here were charged an average of $10.12 a ticket (highest in the league), they still came out in droves. The building was SRO every night with 15,423 at the Coliseum.Next season, it&rsquo;ll be well over 16,000 as Northlands, the people who run the building, are constructing about 1,500 new seats. There&rsquo;s a waiting list of 5,000 for those seats and another lineup for special box seats at the concourse level, as well. They weren&rsquo;t sold last season beause of a dispute between the Oilers and their landlord over various things.With a captive audience, Pocklington will raise the ticket prices by at least $1 across the board after next season. While this sounds like a holdup, Pocklington has to make a buck. It might be a rip-off, but Peter Puck got stung for $7 million this season.He says the operating costs were $4.5 million. &ldquo;It cost another million for rent. Another $400,000 for league dues. The rest of the costs include the front office, public relations, advertising and World Hockey Association cleanup.&rdquo;&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got ridiculous salaries,&rdquo; Pocklington said. &ldquo;&hellip;the NHL forced us to take 17 people in the merger draft.&rdquo;Pocklington said he figured it out one day and the Oilers, so far, represent an investment of $14 million out of his pocket&mdash;not $1 of which he&rsquo;s had returned yet.While most people figure the Oilers made money last season, Peter Puck said they lost $750,000. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve owned this club for five years and we&rsquo;ve lost money every single year. This past year, our costs were $7 million.&rdquo;One of the problems of course, is high player salaries. While the Oilers aren&rsquo;t in the same league as the Detroit Red Wings, Quebec Nordiques or New York Rangers, the player payroll was pretty steep. Wayne Gretzky, as he should, got a healthy portion of that budget, close to $300,000. But there were several others in the mid-to-high $100,000 range.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got ridiculous salaries,&rdquo; Pocklington said. &ldquo;People forget the NHL forced us to take 17 people in the merger draft.&rdquo;Players like Cam Connor, Lee Fogolin, Pat Price, Colin Campbell and Doug Hicks made the club and played pretty well, but they didn&rsquo;t come cheap.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re paying $120,000 U.S. for Pat Price,&rdquo; said Pocklington. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s insanity to pay that for Pat Price.&rdquo; Maybe in the owner&rsquo;s mind, but Price was still the Oilers&rsquo; second best blueliner over the year.He probably should have used examples like Battleship Kelly, instead. The veteran forward hurt his hand last fall and never played for the Oilers, yet he made more than six figures this season.Pocklington, who&rsquo;s as good an owner as any when it comes to generosity, just wants to make a buck, that&rsquo;s ail. &ldquo;I should make money for the first time next year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think I have a right to break even and maybe even shoot for the moon and try to make whatever the interest rate happens to be as a profit.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying I&rsquo;m going to. I want to have a team that&rsquo;s still in the Stanley Cup playoffs in May and I&rsquo;m going to spend money until I get one. I think the fans know that.&rdquo;As long as Gretzky is around, the fans will pay whatever price Pocklington charges. He&rsquo;s the most exciting newcomer in the league since Bobby Orr. He might win the Hart trophy as MVP this season if he can somehow stickhandle around the spectre of Los Angeles King Marcel Dionne. Dionne nipped him for the scoring championship and the Sporting News Player of the Year award.ON THE BENCH: Pocklington won&rsquo;t raise ticket prices next season. By 1982 there might be sky-boxes at the Coliseum to go with the increased seats&hellip;There&rsquo;s a good chance the Oilers will be compensated for losing priority selection Bengt-Ake Gustafsson to Washington. The Oilers could get to protect another skater (19) in the waiver draft in October as well as another pick in the draft&hellip;The Oilers are looking for a defenseman or leftwinger in the first round of the junior draft in June. &#9632;

f0024-01

Oilers’ Owner Laments High Operating Costs

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div>VANCOUVER&mdash;When the hockey season came to a close for the Vancouver Canucks it also cast a shadow on the future of two of the team&rsquo;s veterans&mdash;center Chris Oddleifson and defenseman Dennis Kearns.Oddleifson was captain of the club before the reign of Don Lever. He was so well thought of by former general manager and coach Phil Maloney that he was given the team&rsquo;s only five-year contract. In his years with Vancouver he has done just about everything except score goals in numbers. Penalty killing, setting up former Canuck right winger John Gould and winning clutch faceoffs have been something Oddleifson has excelled in for six years.But as the season ended, he was in a horrendous production slump, not having scored in 28 games, and he was in the process of playing out his option.It was the second straight year Oddleifson hasn&rsquo;t been able to contribute as much as he might have liked down the stretch. He slumped badly this year and last year he missed seven weeks at the season&rsquo;s end with a severe charley-horse.He is still the Player&rsquo;s Association representative on the team, which probably doesn&rsquo;t help his situation, and the tragic part of this past season was that he got off to such a tremendous start.He was at one time the top plusminus forward on the team and he was doing everything for a successful squad. But like the entire team, Oddleifson&rsquo;s performance dipped through December and January and never really righted itself, though he did play pretty well in the playoffs.Neither general manager Jake Milford nor Oddleifson know quite what to expect when the two parties talk contracts. The Canucks would like to get him signed to a two-way deal&mdash;where a player can be sent to the minors and paid a lesser salary&mdash;but whether Oddleifson will go for such an arrangement, with his status and tenure in the league, remains to be seen.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll sit down and talk about it soon, hopefully,&rdquo; said Oddleifson. &ldquo;It can be a little tough to negotiate a contract with only eight goals. It would have been nice if we had gone another round in the playoffs.&rdquo;It is difficult to imagine a player of Oddleifson&rsquo;s ability out of the NHL, based on the way he played at the beginning of the year. At the same time it is tough to imagine him in the league the way he finished. But his specific ability to kill penalties and win faceoffs will keep him in hockey somewhere&mdash;if he wants to keep playing.Kearns, the oldest member of the team, was the seventh defenseman for the stretch and it would appear he is on his way out from a team which hopes to bring in at least one Swedish defenseman this year.Kearns was not coach Harry Neale&rsquo;s type of player, as he excelled in moving the puck when playing at his best rather than taking out the man. He was rarely given an opportunity on the power play, even though it was one of the worst in the league and was hurting on the point. He has a year left on his contract but the speculation is the Canucks will try to trade him or buy out the remaining year on his contract.Kearns began his years with the Canucks in the second year of the team&rsquo;s existence, 1971, and he has been with them ever since. He has held many of the club&rsquo;s records, including most career assists and assists for a defenseman, and he has done excellent service over the years. But the fans jumped on him unmercifully, mainly because of his style, and it has become increasingly difficult for him to be anywhere near his best at the Pacific Coliseum. Kearns could certainly benefit from a deal if it could be worked out and a change of scenery would certainly help his play.The Canucks, meanwhile, will be drafting in the number seven position this June but they have not decided yet on which man they&rsquo;re after. But they are beginning to think of taking a younger player with ability and showing some patience rather than going for present needs.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03262/4292280-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="609" height="817"><figcaption class="caption-body">Despite several team records, Dennis Kearns may be at the end of the line with the Canucks.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0024-03

Canuck Vets Face Uncertain Future

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02305/4292356-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="542" height="550"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rick Vasko</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03211/4292349-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="542" height="556"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gordie Clark</figcaption></div>HARRISBURG&mdash;The North division had it all over the South in the 28th annual American Hockey League All Star team selections chosen by the league coaches for the Sunday Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa., and THE HOCKEY NEWS.The star-studded Northern teams claimed five of the six berths on both the first and second squads and would have registered a sweep had it not been for the South Division New Haven Nighthawks and Bill Lochead.The high-scoring Lochead was the biggest single pointgetter among the selecting coaches, who accorded him a unanimous vote for the first-team left wing berth.Maine and New Brunswick each placed four players on the two teams.While the coaches were definite in their All Star picks, the men behind the AHL benches had a tougher time trying to decide on the individual awards. Two of the four ended up in three-way ties. Only Rick Vasko of Adirondack, who was chosen best AHL defenseman, and Parker MacDonald of New Haven, who was picked as coach of the year, were conclusive. The MVP and rookie awards were shared by six different players.The following are the AHL coaches&rsquo; All Star teams.<h2>AHL All Star Teams</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04151/4292342-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="1107" height="438"></div>Most Valuable Player-GORDIE CLARK, Maine, BILL LOCHEAD, New Haven, and NORM DUBE, Nova Scotia, tied.Best defenseman-RICK VASKO, Adirondack.Rookie of the year-DAVE SNOPEK, New Haven, AL JENSEN, Adirondack, and DARYL SUTTER, New Brunswick, tied.Coach of the year-PARKER MacDONALD, NEW HAVEN. &#9632;

f0025-02

North Division Teams Dominate All Stars

BINGHAMTON&mdash;The Dusters have become the new American Hockey League affiliate of the Hartford Whalers after announcement of the franchise&rsquo;s purchase was made by Hartford managing partner Howard Baldwin.Baldwin said that the Dusters will serve as the Whalers&rsquo; AHL affiliate, and will be coached by Larry Kish, who served in the same capacity last season with the Springfield Indians, then the Whalers&rsquo; AHL affiliate. The Whalers&rsquo; new club will play its home game in the 4,855 seat Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.&ldquo;We are extremely excited and enthusiastic about this acquisition as it not only represents an outstanding development situation for the Hartford Whalers, but it also presents us with an opportunity to give you, the fans, the type of team and organization you so richly deserve,&rdquo; Baldwin said.&ldquo;It would be naive of us to come charging into a new city and immediately pledge a championship team. However, I will assure you that the team we put on the ice will always give 100 percent, 100 percent of the time. Usually when this happens, championship seasons are the end result.&rdquo;Baldwin will serve as managing general partner and governor of the Dusters with Whalers&rsquo; director of hockey operations Jack Kelley serving as the team&rsquo;s general manager and alternate governor. George Ducharme has been named acting director of operations.Baldwin said the people working on a day to day basis with the Dusters will reside in Broome County.The Broome County franchise was purchased by the Whalers from Andre Veilleux, whose 1979-80 Dusters had a working agreement with the Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings.Kish, a graduate of Providence College, was a three-time All-East selection and captain of the Friars&rsquo; 1964 team that captured the ECAC crown and has been coaching hockey teams for 16 years.He spent several years coaching Rhode Island high shool and prep school teams before taking over in 1971 as coach of the Rhode Island Eagles of the Eastern Hockey League. Since that time, he has coached professional teams in St. Petersburg, Fla., Cape Cod, Mass., Binghamton and Springfield. This past year, his Springfield team missed the AHL playoffs by one point.Respected as an outstanding coach of young talent, it was Kish&rsquo;s coaching that prepared several Springfield players for mid and late season roles with the Whalers.The 38-year-old Kish, who was born in Welland, Ont. and played junior hockey under Scotty Bowman with the Peterborough Petes, feels strongly the Whalers new affiliate &ldquo;be part of the community. I know the area. I spent three and a half years here as a coach,&rdquo; recalls Larry. &ldquo;You can be sure we&rsquo;ll have a hustling team and one that will participate in community activities. I believe in player appearances at local functions and working with the people in the area.&ldquo;The Whalers are a first rate organization,&rdquo; Kish concluded, &ldquo;and they will bring stability and consistency to hockey here.&rdquo; &#9632;

Whalers Buy Binghamton As AHL Farm Affiliate

<div class="byline">BY JIM LEAHY</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSHERSHEY&mdash;The organist at the Hersheypark Arena began playing &ldquo;The Impossible Dream&rdquo; as the Hershey Bears jumped off the bench to swarm around goaltender Dave Parro. Some 5,242 fans joined in the celebration. In one of the biggests upsets in recent Calder Cup history, the Hershey Bears had eliminated the New Haven Nighthawks 4-2 in their best-of-seven series. This had to be an impossible dream for Hershey fans going into the semifinals against New Haven. The Bears had lost 11 of 14 regular season games to New Haven and all seven played in New Haven.The Bears threw away the record book, shook off injuries, and proceeded to win two of the contests in New Haven. The clincher was a 4-3 victory in Hershey, with Harvey Pocza scoring the winning goal late in the second period. Hershey had a 4-2 lead going into the third period, but New Haven&rsquo;s Jim Mayer scored at the 16:14 mark of the final stanza, setting the stage for a wild finish. With goalie Doug Soetaert pulled in favor of an extra attacker, the Nighthawks mounted a last-minute desperation attack on Parro. The Hershey netminder held off New Haven and the Bears earned the right to advance into the Calder Cup finals.After the Bears had taken a 2-0 lead in the series, they visited New Haven for Game Three. Parro was bombed in that one as New Haven ended a 10-game winning streak for the Bears on their way to a 103 victory. Tony Cassolato and Lou Franceschetti scored power play goals for Hershey and Greg The-berge added a solo tally in the lopsided defeat. A crowd of 5,555 turned out in Hershey to see Game Four, but the Bears dropped a 3-1 contest to New Haven and the series was tied at 2-2. In an excellent game, Errol Rausse was the only Bear to score against Doug Soeatert.Game Five was played in New Haven and few experts gave Hershey much of a chance against the high-scoring Nighthawks, who had won two in a row and seemed to be in the groove. They were playing at home and had chartered a plane to take them back from Hershey the previous night to be fresh for the afternoon contest. The Bears arrived at 4:30 in the morning.The underdog and weary Bears spotted New Haven a 3-0 lead before they erupted to score five straight goals and stun the Nighthawks. Ray McKay. Claude Noel. Bob Girard (shorthanded), Errol Rausse and Lou Franceschetti each contributed a goal in the amazing Hershey comeback. Franceschetti scored on a breakaway at 11:49 of the third period. His dramatic goal proved to be the gamewinner. The victory proved to be remarkable since Hershey was obviously tired and down to only 14 skaters due to injuries. The big win in New Haven gave the Bears a 3-2 lead in the series and enabled the gutsy Bears to clinch a Calder Cup final round playoff berth a few days later when they beat New Haven 4-3 in Hershey.NEW HAVEN: The team favored by many to win their first ever Calder Cup is on the outside looking in. In a tremendous upset, the Hershey Bears eliminated New Haven in six games. The end came at the Hersheypark Arena as defenseman Josh Guevremont fired a blazing slap shot at the buzzer. It missed by inches and sent the Nighthawks home early.New Haven got back in the series after trailing 2-0 when they blasted the Bears 10-3 in New Haven and beat them 3-1 in Hershey. Unfortunately, Hershey came back to win the crucial fifth contest and then wrap up the Southern Division playoff championship with a 4-3 win at home.In the 10-3 win at New Haven, a fired-up crowd of 4,834 saw the Nighthawks turn on the offense for the only time in the six-game set with Hershey. With Ranger guru Fred Shero and others in attendance, the Nighthawks came up with five goals in the second period to clinch the victory. Perhaps in an omen to Nighthawk fans, the huge scoreboard suddenly went dead halfway through what turned out to be New Haven&rsquo;s last win of the season.Lance Nethery, Mike Backman and Larry Skinner played well for the Nighthawks and most of the other Nighthawks worked hard. They were defeated by a team that on paper did not have the talent to beat New Haven. The only difference seemed to be that the Bears had the late-season momentum going and came up with an outstandig team effort.NEW BRUNSWICK: Daryl Sutter&rsquo;s goal after 7:01 of overtime gave the New Brunswick Hawks a 3-2 victory over the Maine Mariners in Portland and sent the Hawks winging into the AHL finals.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01413/4292311-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="575" height="714"><figcaption class="caption-body">Hershey&rsquo;s LouFranceshetti scored a breakaway goal for a game-winner in game five at New Haven.</figcaption></div>The teams had traded goals through regulation time, three of them coming on power plays before Sutter&rsquo;s goal, assisted by Mark Kirton and Rick Paterson. Fred Williams gave the Mariners the lead with a goal which was answered by Serge Boisvert of the Hawks. Dan Lucas restored the Maine lead but Bob Neely&rsquo;s unasisted goal at 8:03 of the third period sent the game into the overtime session.With the series tied at two games apiece, New Brunswick scored a 5-2 win at home for the edge heading into Game Six. The series was so tight that when it was over after six games, each team had scored 21 goals.New Brunswick goalie Murray Bannerman displayed some of the intensity of the series when he was thrown out of Game Three for protesting a goal. When referee Ron Fournier allowed a score against Bannerman which was not to the goalie&rsquo;s liking, Bannerman tossed his blocking pad into the stands. Fournier then penalized Bannerman for delay of game and the goalie had to be retrained from chasing after Fournier and was eventually thrown out of the game.MAINE: Down two games to none at one point in the series, the Mariners shocked 6,568 Moncton Coliseum customers with a 6-2 decision to get back into the series. Gordie Clark and Barry Dean each had two goals for the Mariners in the series&rsquo; most lopsided game.The Mariners also triumphed in Game Four, as their offense once again went to work, earning a 7-5 win sending the series back to New Brunswick tied at 2-2. &#9632;

f0025-01

Bears’ Major Upset Stuns New Haven; Hawks Advance With Overtime Victory

<div class="byline">BY TOM LOBAUGH</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSSALT LAKE CITY&mdash;There&rsquo;s no place like home in the Central Hockey League, a point proved dramatically in the seven-game Adams Cup final series between the Salt Lake Golden Eagles and the Fort Worth Texans.Each team won at home and when it was over, the team with the extra home game&mdash;the Eagles&mdash;who opened a two-game lead with victories of 6-4 and 5-3 in the Salt Palace, won the most important game of all, 2-1 for the championship.Red Laurence&rsquo;s goal at 2:42 of the first period turned out to be the winner as the teams battled through the final 57:18 of the contest without a goal. Laurence flicked a wrist shot past the Texans&rsquo; Michel Plasse, who played every game during the playoffs for the Fort Worth club. Richie Hansen opened the scoring for the Eagles early in the game with assists from Joe Mullen and Neil Labatte, but Bobby Crawford&rsquo;s unassisted tally tied the score for the Texans.The victory gave the Golden Eagles their second cup under the direction of Coach Jack Evans. He coached the Eagles to the crown in 1975 before departing for a stint in the National Hockey League. Last season, the Eagles won the regular season championship but were upset by Dallas in the finals. The Eagles were pennant-winners again this year as well.The Texans staved off elimination in Game Six of the series when they scored a 3-2 victory at Will Rogers Coliseum.The Texans fought back from an early 2-0 deficit to tie three times in Game One at Salt Lake. Joe Mullen&rsquo;s second goal of the night, with 37 seconds left, won the contest, and Floyd Thomson added an empty-netter with 10 seconds to play.After Doug Palazzari and Mullen had broken the Eagles on top, the Texans&rsquo; Bobby Crawford (no relation to the Eagles&rsquo; Bobby Crawford, although both are rookie right wings) and Nelson Pyatt gained a 2-2 tie. Rick Bowness put Salt Lake ahead again before the second period ended, but Dave Watson matched that early in the third.Thomson got his first goal to put the Eagles in front, but the Texans&rsquo; Crawford tied the count again, with three and a half minutes left in regulation.It was Fort Worth which broke to a 2-0 lead in the first period of Game Two, on goals by Merlin Malinowski and Archie Henderson. Richie Hansen got Salt Lake on the scoreboard on a power play, but Mario Giallonardo&rsquo;s power goal for the Texans made it 3-1 after one period.From then on, it was all Salt Lake. Red Laurence scored in the middle period, Steve Harrison in the third, and Brian Ogilvie had two goals in the final minute&mdash;the winner with 47 seconds left and an empty-netter with five seconds to play.Doug Grant worked the first game in the Salt Lake nets. Rick Heinz the second, with Michel Plasse the Fort Worth goalie in both contests.Four Texan goals in the final period, three of them in a span of 4:14 turned the tables in Game Three at Fort Worth. Malinowski&rsquo;s first-period goal for Fort Worth was matched by Eagle Len Frig at the start of the second. Watson and Andy Spruce, the latter on a power play, moved the Texans ahead again, but a Rick Bowness power play goal for Salt Lake narrowed the margin to 3-2 before that period ended.Don Saleski started the Fort Worth barrage after just 36 seconds of the last period. Gary Dillon scored at 3:26, and Bob Atwell at 4:20. Salt Lake&rsquo;s Crawford got a pair of late tallies, but Spruce added another for the Texans.Grant took the loss for Salt Lake in Game Three, and Heinz was the loser in Game Four, again in Fort Worth. Plasse, working every night for Fort Worth, made the key play when he stopped Laurence on a penalty shot in the final period, with the Texans holding a 3-2 lead.It was tied at 2-2 after two periods, with Saleski and Peter Sturgeon giving Fort Worth leads, only to have Laurence and Mullen tie it up.Henderson put the Texans ahead to stay at 11:01 of the third period. Less than two minutes later came Plasse&rsquo;s save on Laurence&rsquo;s penalty shot. Les Auge&rsquo;s power play tally at 16:18 proved to be the winning goal. The Eagles lifted Heinz in the final minute, and Palazzari got Salt Lake&rsquo;s third goal with 12 seconds left.Mullen&rsquo;s ninth playoff goal (after 40 in the regular season) made him the most prolific rookie scorer in Salt Lake history. Ron Huston had 48 goals in the regular season and playoffs in 1972-73.The Eagles, who had counted on only three of 20 power plays in the first four games, scored on four of nine chances in Game Five in Salt Lake. And league-leading scorer Doug Palazzari posted his first hat trick in 91 games for the season. (On 12 previous occasions he had had two-goal games.)&ldquo;Pizza&rdquo; scored his first goal in the opening period, as Salt Lake, for a change, broke on top. Spruce tied it on a breakaway in the first period, but that was all the Texans could do against Grant.Laurence scored two in the second period, while Palazzari and Thomson also tallied. In the third it was Bowness and Palazzari.Texan Jack Hughes drew a game misconduct for leaving the penalty box to intervene in a fight between Thomson and Giallonardo, and then refusing to return to the box as ordered by referee Ron Harris.With an assist on Spruce&rsquo;s goal, Fort Worth&rsquo;s Malinowski tied the CHL record of Jim Lorentz, who had 16 assists for Oklahoma City in the 1968-69 playoffs. The Eagles&rsquo; Mullen, with nine goals, was only two shy of the playoff record set by John Anderson for Dallas in 1977-78.A CHL first was the televising of all road games in the finals back to Salt Lake. Chuck Schell did both radio and TV in a simulcast. John Choyce, who has coached at-Kansas City, Albuquerque, Fort Worth, Tulsa and Dallas in the CHL, provided the color commentary.FORT WORTH: With Salt lake waiting in the wings, the Texans advanced to the Adams Cup finals by beating the Indianapolis Checkers twice, 2-0 and 3-1, in the State Fair Coliseum at neighboring Dallas, while a rodeo occupied Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth. That wrapped up the semifinal series, three games to one.It was workhorse goalie Michel Plasse who posted the Tuesday night shutout, his first of the season and first in the CHL, although he had previously recorded two for Pittsburgh in the National League and one for Nova Scotia in the American League.Andy Spruce, on an early power play in the opening period, gave the Texans all the scoring they needed. Gary Dillon added an empty net goal with 42 seconds left, after the Checkers lifted goalie Richard Brodeur.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01425/4292411-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="580" height="861"><figcaption class="caption-body">Don (Red) Laurence scored the deciding goal which gave the Salt Lake Eagles the Adams Trophy.</figcaption></div>Kelly Davis put the Checkers in front late in the first period of Game Four. Dave Watson tied it early in the second. Nelson Pyatt got the winner at 18:01 of the third, and Merlin Malinowski scored into an empty net (with Brodeur lifted again) at 19:37. Plasse was brilliant again in the Fort Worth nets, as Indy had a 3123 shooting advantage.OKLAHOMA CITY: Lefty McFadden, the man who became a major factor in the successful turnaround of the Stars during the 1979-80 season, is leaving the club because of personal health problems.Lefty, who was appointed president of John W. Hail, Inc., and general manager of the Stars in late December, announced he was resigning and returning to Dayton, Ohio, on orders of his personal physician. &#9632;

f0026-01

Eagles’ Home Ice Edge Enough For Adams Cup

<div class="byline">BY BUD GALLMEIER</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSKALAMAZOO&mdash;The International Hockey League&rsquo;s Turner Cup playoffs take on a &ldquo;civil war&rdquo; look when the Kalamazoo K-Wings and Fort Wayne Komets square off in the best-of-seven championship series.The Wings, overall champions and king of the North Division, will be defending their Turner Cup championship against South Division champion Fort Wayne. Kalamazoo won its first Turner Cup championship last season in a seven-game series with Huber Trophy (league champion) winner Grand Rapids.Fort Wayne, the senior citizens of the IHL and now in their 28th season, will be shooting for their fourth Turner Cup crown. The Komets won in 1963, 1965 and 1973. This marks the first time the Komets have been in the finals since their championship season of &lsquo;73, when they also won the league championship. Mark Boileau, now at Flint, was the Komet coach in 1973.If the K-Wings appear a little weary, they&rsquo;ve got good reason. While eliminating the stubborn Port Huron Flags in a six-game semifinal series, Kalamazoo was forced into double overtime three times. The K-Wings won two of the bonus engagements and Port Huron one.Two of Kalamazoo&rsquo;s victories in the semifinal series came on the road. A pivotal win was the fourth game, when Kalamazoo scored a 4-3 victory four minutes and 24 seconds into the second overtime on a goal by Doug McKay Jr., son of the Kalamazoo coach. It was the third straight double overtime of the series and fifth overtime game for Port Huron in the playoff competition. The Flags were forced into overtime twice in the quarterfinals with Flint.Port Huron stayed alive with an 8-6 victory in the fifth game in Kalamazoo as Dennis Houle scored four goals for the determined Flags. The loss was a costly one for Kalamazoo as star goalie Larry Lozinski was injured early in the first period. He suffered torn ligaments in his knee and is out for the season, having undergone surgery two days after suffering the injury.Back-up Georges Gagnon, who appeared in just 18 games during the regular season, was almost perfect in the deciding sixth game, however, as he limited Port Huron to one goal in the 3-1 victory.Fort Wayne rode the super goaltending of veteran Robbie Irons into the championship round. The 33-year-old native of Toronto, in his third decade in the IHL, has played in all nine playoff games, posting a stingy 2.6 goals against average. Irons has one shutout&mdash;a 3-0 effort in the final game with Toledo as the Komets closed out a four-game sweep. Fort Wayne eliminated Saginaw 4-1 in the semifinals.The Komets have also been impressive on the road. Four of their nine victories have been away from the Memorial Coliseum and they won twice each against Toledo and Saginaw on the road. Both Komet coach Moose Lallo and Doug McKay of Kalamazoo looked for a good series with no gratuitous &ldquo;rough stuff&rsquo; expected.&ldquo;Both teams skate well. There won&rsquo;t be any goon stuff. I doubt if there will be a fight of any kind in the series,&rdquo; said Lallo. &ldquo;Kalamazoo plays its position very well, gets out of its own end very quickly and is well disciplined. Our main job will be to stop Tom Milani and Tom Ross.&rdquo;McKay echoed the same sentiments. &ldquo;It should be a great series,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Both teams skate well. Fort Wayne has the league&rsquo;s top goal scorer in Barry Scully and the leading scorer as well as Most Valuable Player in Al Dumba. And then there is Terry McDougall.&rdquo;McDougall, Dumba&rsquo;s center, was the league&rsquo;s scoring leader and Most Valuable Player last season with 139 points.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01405/4292449-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="570" height="715"><figcaption class="caption-body">Veteran RobbieIrons compiled an 8-1 record for Fort Wayne through the first two rounds.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02303/4292442-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="580" height="710"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tom Milani is one K-Wing the Komets will have to contain with some close checking.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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K-Wings, Komets Turner Cup Finalists In A Meeting Of Divisional Champions

MILWAUKEE&mdash;Doug Robb of the Milwaukee Admirals has been named the most outstanding rookie in the International Hockey League for the 1979-80 season and winner of the Longman Memorial Trophy.The 22-year-old rightwinger, a native of Orillia, Ontario, played in all his club&rsquo;s 80 games over the season, scoring 55 goals and drawing 41 assists for 96 points. He was runnerup to Barry Scully of the Fort Wayne Komets, who scored 61 goals as the IHL&rsquo;s top goalscorer. With his 96 points, the 5-9, 180-pound forward set a new Milwaukee club record for most points by a player over a single season.In the voting by the 10 IHL general managers, goalie Larry Lozinski of the Kalamazoo Wings was runner-up, followed by the Saginaw Gears&rsquo; leftwinger Scott Gruhl.Meanwhile, goaltender Bob Janecyk of the Fort Wayne Komets has been chosen the most outstanding American-born rookie in the IHL for the 1979-80 season and winner of the Ken McKenzie Trophy.The 22-year-old netminder, a native of Chicago, Illinois and a graduate of the Midwest midget and junior league competition, joined the Komets one month into the season and in 42 games recorded one shutout and gave up 133 goals for a 3.43 goals-against average.Steve Blue, of the Port Huron Flags, a rightwinger from Northridge, California, was runnerup ahead of center Gary Delonge, also of Fort Wayne.The award was placed in competition in 1977 and previous winners were Mike Eruzione of the Toledo Goaldiggers (1977-78) and Jon Fontas of the Saginaw Gears (1978-79). &#9632;

Robb, Janecyk Capture Rookie Awards In IHL

<div class="byline">BY PATRICK LYON</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSHAMPTON&mdash;Plenty has happened in two seasons to the Eastern Hockey League franchise in Hampton, Virginia, but new owners Jim and Steve Wanting promise to add a more stabilizing effect to the once powerful Aces.The club overcame much adversity in their first year after the franchise had a humble beginning as the Jersey Aces located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.The first owner of the team defaulted in a performance bond to the league and the Board of Governors stepped in and terminated the team only to award the franchise days later to a group headed by Philadelphia Phillies&rsquo; third baseman Mike Schmidt.Following the takeover by the Schmidt group, the owners soon tired of the poor fan support and sought greener pastures with the squad eventually landing in Hampton.After all the misfortune the players were forced through, the team proved their talent and ended in second place during the regular season and finished as runner-up for the John Mitchell Cup to the champion Erie Blades.This past season saw more changes in the structure of the Aces as the club struggled for survival in the six-team circuit. The club remained in Hampton, but the revolving door of owners continued when Schmidt elected to sell the team to Gerri Decker and Jim Humphreys, a pair of Virginians who hoped the squad would flourish under new local management.That was not to be, however, and more changes occurred when Humphreys fired colorful coach Muzz MacPherson (later hired by Richmond) and hired Glen Patrick. Nothing seemed to help and the Aces ended dead last in the EHL with a dismal 17-49-4 record.The youthful Wanting duo swept in from Toledo, Ohio and purchased the club to become the fourth owners of the franchise in little more than two years. Unlike the others the Wanting brothers plan to be around for a long time.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re both very excited,&rdquo; said Steve. &ldquo;This is something we&rsquo;ve been looking to get into for about a year now and it&rsquo;s finally happening.&rdquo;Twenty-six-year old Steve will handle the business duties as president and secretary-treasurer, while 29-year-old Jim will be concentrating on the marketing aspect in arranging varied promotions where the club was lacking the past season.The new owners have already zeroed in on the problems of the previous ownership and have began preparation to turn the program around in Hampton. &ldquo;The people before us had an inability to get the idea of hockey across to the people in the area,&rdquo; related Steve. &ldquo;They definitely had promotional problems and we aim to rectify the situation.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll be going all out to get the city behind us. We will be talking to the city council here and make them and the people in Hampton feel important because they are. This is a key area. We also have been working on several game type promotions for next season.&rdquo;Another key to rebuilding the club will be the formation of a solid working agreement which the Aces also did not have in the &ldquo;197980 season. Wanting has spoken briefly with the Philadelphia Flyers and has scheduled more meetings with the NHL club. &ldquo;The Aces worked some with the Flyers last year, but it really wasn&rsquo;t an agreement,&rdquo; said Steve. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re hot on their (Flyers) trail and are looking for a lot stronger arrangement than they had previously with Hampton.&ldquo;A lot of people in Hampton were disillusioned because they had a first place team and suddenly they were a last place team. Our job will be to win the people back and I&rsquo;m sure with a good working agreement, we&rsquo;ll be in the hunt next season.&rdquo;The Wantings have also started a search for a new coach to replace Patrick, who was not asked back for the 1980-81 campaign.The franchise shift was approved by the Board of Governors at a meeting held in Pittsburgh.In other league news, commissioner Bill Beagan was extremely pleased with the outcome of the entire season and continued his work to complete Phase II of his three phase program to add two more teams to the fold.&ldquo;I think we had a very successful season from our humble beginning of June 12 a year ago,&rdquo; said Beagan. &ldquo;We shocked a lot of people and I am very, very pleased and have all the optimism in the world that things will continue to get better.&rdquo;The Governors have set June 1 as the deadline for new franchises and Beagan was busy trying to narrow the choices. Among them are Salem, Virginia; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Cleveland, Roanoke and Syracuse, New York.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01391/4292504-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="525" height="700"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Aces will look to replace coach Glen Patrick after a last-place finish in the EHL.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0028-01

Wanting Brothers Eye Hampton Hockey Rebirth

<div class="byline">BY GREGG DRINNAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01343/4292535-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Members of the Cornwall Royals hold the Memorial Cup aloft after their dramatic overtime win over the Peterborough Petes in the championship final at Regina. The underdog Royals came through to win the showdown game 3-2 and give the Quebec Major Hockey League its first national junior title since 1972. (CP Laurphoto)</figcaption></div>REGINA&mdash;With just one goal in his previous 22 playoff games, the Cornwall Royals&rsquo; Robert Savard was an unlikely candidate for the hero&rsquo;s role at the 1980 Memorial Cup tournament.But that&rsquo;s exactly what happened as Savard scored the winning goal at 1:28 of sudden death overtime to give his Royals a 3-2 victory over the defending champion Peterborough Petes in the final game of the three-team double round robin tournament.Savard picked up a loose puck in his zone and made a rink-length dash down the right side of the Regina Agridome&rsquo;s ice surface. He ended the rush, and the game, by firing the puck through the legs of Peterborough goaltender Rick LaFerriere.Savard said later that he intended to carry the puck into the corner and dump it out into the slot. But he decided to shoot when he saw the opening.&ldquo;I saw the puck go in,&rdquo; explained Savard, who scored just four goals in 68 regular season games, &ldquo;but I thought it was just a dream.&rdquo;Savard&rsquo;s goal brought to a conclusion a Memorial Cup tournament that started smoothly, but almost drowned in controversy.Going into the last game of the round robin portion, the Ontario Major Junior League&rsquo;s Petes had a 30 record and were assured a spot in the sudden death final. The Royals of the Quebec Major Junior League were 1-2, while the Western League&rsquo;s Regina Pats owned a 1-3 record.A Peterbrough victory over Cornwall would eliminate the Royals, while a Cornwall win would sideline the Pats.Peterborough jumped out to a 4-1 lead in that game, but the Royals scored four unanswered goals for a 5-4 victory. The end result did not sit well with the crowd of 5,823, many of whom bombarded the Petes with debris ranging from popcorn cartons to half-filled soft drink containers.And, it also brought out accusations that the Petes had thrown the game, deciding that they would much rather face the Royals than the Pats in the final contest.&ldquo;Peterborough made sure they didn&rsquo;t win the thing,&rdquo; said Bryan Murray, coach of the Pats. &ldquo;When they got ahead by mistake, they certainly made a point of giving it away in the third period.&rdquo;Peterborough coach Mike Keenan didn&rsquo;t have much to say immediately following the game&mdash;&rdquo;I have no comment about tonight&rsquo;s contest. We&rsquo;re preparing for Sunday&rsquo;s game,&rdquo;&mdash;but he was rather vocal following the final contest.&ldquo;We did not throw a game,&rdquo; he seethed. &ldquo;We never had any intention of throwing a game. It was never in my mind. It was never a direction given any of our players. It was complete nonsense and garbage.&rdquo;Ed Chynoweth, president of the Canadian Major Junior League, said, &ldquo;There is no doubt there will be a change in the tournament&rsquo;s format.&rdquo;Chynoweth said a committee has been formed to come up with recommendations for a playoff format that will make it impossible to produce a situation in which &ldquo;one team can control somebody else&rsquo;s destiny.&rdquo;The three-team round robin format will definitely be retained, however.The Regina fans showed their resentment again prior to, during, and after the sudden death final. Referee Murray Harding had to halt play at least a dozen times while arena attendants scraped eggs off the ice. At one point, a chicken was hurled towards the ice surface, landing on the shoulder of Peterborough defenseman Stuart Smith.Cornwall coach Doug Carpenter felt the reaction of the fans&mdash;only about 3,000 showed up, although 5,736 tickets were sold&mdash;was a factor in the outcome.&ldquo;They kept the Petes a little off guard,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They intimidated them a little bit. They were having to concentrate on other things, but, I think the Cornwall Royals won the hockey game, not the fans.&rdquo;Keenan, for his part, gave the Royals all the credit in the world.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not making any alibis,&rdquo; he offered. &ldquo;Cornwall played with a lot of determination, especially in the latter part of the game. The Cornwall Royals played an extremely fine game.&rdquo;Captain Dan Daoust and defenseman Dave Ezard&mdash;the tournament&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player&mdash;scored the other Cornwall goals, while Steve Smith and Terry Bovair countered for the Petes as the teams played to a 1-1, 2-2, and 2-2 period ties.But the man of the hour, other than Savard, was Cornwall goaltender Ron Scott, who kicked out a total of 31 shots, including 16 in the third period.While Ezard received the Stafford Smythe trophy as the MVP, LaFerrier was named the tournament&rsquo;s outstanding goaltender, taking the Hap Emms trophy and a spot on the All Star team. Cornwalls Dale Hawerchuk, a 17-year-old center, picked up the George Parsons trophy as the player best exemplifying the qualities of good sportsmanship.Others named to the All Star team were defenseman Larry Murphy of Peterborough and Darren Veitch of Regina and forwards Bill Gardner and Mark Reeds of the Petes. Hawerchuk was the other forward named.As well, Regina center Doug Wickenheiser was named the Labatt-CC, Major Junior Player of the Year, over the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s Jim Fox and goalkeeper Paul Pageau of the Shawinigan Cataractes. &#9632;

f0029-01

Unlikely Hero Caps Royals’ Memorial Cup Upset

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSREGINA&mdash;Last year the Peterborough Petes were affectionately referred to as the Green Machine&mdash;named after their brilliant young coach and general manager, Gary Green.Although he was only 25 years old at the time, Green was the brains behind the team that won the first Memorial Cup in club history. Whether they were a machine or not was debatable. There were times last season when the Petes nearly bit the dust, especially in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League finals, when they trailed the Niagara Falls Flyers 31 in games.The Petes went on to win the series and the coveted Memorial Cup but they weren&rsquo;t a machine. They were more like the Pittsburgh Pirates&mdash;a big family.This year, with rookie coach and general manager Mike Keenan running the show, the Petes have been dubbed &ldquo;Keenan&rsquo;s Klan&rdquo; by the fans. Again, in the mould of the Pirates, the fans view the team as one big family. Once again they are a little off.In the playoffs, the Petes have proven they are finally a machine. No matter what the score in any given game, they never change their style. If they&rsquo;re winning, they continue to play their positions, take advantage of the breaks that come their way, and concentrate on defense.When they&rsquo;re losing, it&rsquo;s the same thing. They don&rsquo;t rattle. They don&rsquo;t panic. It is almost uncanny the way they can look like they are headed straight for a loss but somehow find the strength to rebound and pull out a win.It all started in Game Four of their opening playoff series with the Sudbury Wolves, a team that finished 27 points behind the Petes in regular season standings.Trailing two games to one, the Petes travelled to Sudbury, desperately needing a win to get back in the series. A loss in Sudbury almost surely meant an early golf season.For almost three complete periods of that game, the Petes looked bad. In fact, they looked like they didn&rsquo;t care. Then as the game was drawing to a close, they suddenly got serious and managed to tie the score. The game moved into overtime and eventually a second overtime period before the Petes won.It was the start of one of the most amazing win streaks in junior hockey history. They won three straight games to set the Wolves down, beat the Ottawa &lsquo;67s out in four straight games and then knocked the Windsor Spitfires out of the league finals, also in four consecutive games.They won 11 straight games and also went undefeated in all seven road playoff games.&ldquo;Nobody is going to beat that team,&rdquo; said one National Hockey League scout. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re the most disciplined junior team I have ever seen. Most professional teams would like to have the kind of discipline in their organization that the Petes have displayed this year.&rdquo; &lsquo;The Petes kept their win streak alive, stretching it to 14 games in Memorial Cup double round robin play, beating the Regina Pats and the Cornwall Royals once.Accused of playing a boring style of hockey for years under Roger Neilson and even Green, the Petes can no longer be pinned with that rap. They are not boring&mdash;methodical at times, maybe, but not boring.Take Game Four in the Ottawa series. The Petes trailed 3-0 and it looked like the 67s would force a fifth game. &ldquo;Not so,&rdquo; said the Petes. They rebounded to win the game, 5-3.The same thing happened in Game Four of the Windsor series. In Windsor, with 7000 Spitfires&rsquo; fans exercising their vocal chords, the Petes fell beind, 3-0, early but came back to win that game.In the second game of the Memorial Cup round robin, Cornwall jumped into a 4-2 lead early in the second period but the Petes exploded for five goals in just over five minutes, including four in two minutes and 21 seconds and went on to win, 8-6.Against the Regina Pats in Game Three, the Petes trailed 3-0 after two periods, and looked as though they might go down to defeat for the first time since March 30. In the third period, however, the Petes scored four unanswered goals to win 4-3.&ldquo;I think the reason for us playing with the consistency that we have is because of discipline,&rdquo; said Keenan. &ldquo;You can shape attitudes to a certain extent and I feel that over the course of the season we have been able to teach and educate them so that they withstand any adversities.&ldquo;We have a pretty tightly-knit team&rdquo; and they have that family feeling to a certain extent, but we&rsquo;re technically very sound as well.&rdquo;Like a machine.The Petes&rsquo; machine came grinding to a halt in the Memorial Cup championship. For details, see story on page 29.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01384/4292566-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="582" height="681"><figcaption class="caption-body">Manager-coach Mike Keenan hasn&rsquo;t changed the Peterborough Petes. They are still a machine-like hockey club that never changes its style of winning.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Fans Call Them “One Big Family” But Petes Exhibit Machine Look

<div class="byline">BY GREGG DRINNAN</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSREGINA&mdash;In this day and age of a three-team Memorial Cup tournament, not many major junior hockey teams get a chance to win the national championship on home ice.The Regina Pats, though, at least had the opportunity.Brent Pascal&rsquo;s overtime goal gave Regina a 5-4 victory over Victoria, Cougars in the fifth game of the WHL&rsquo;s best-of-seven final. Thus, the Pats won the series 4-1 and also grabbed their first Western Hockey League championship since 1973-74.With the victory, the Pats earned a spot in the Memorial Cup extravaganza, an affair which opened at Brandon&rsquo;s Keystone Centre and then switched to Regina&rsquo;s Agridome.Regina competed against the defending champion Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Major Junior League and the Quebec Major Junior League&rsquo;s Cornwall Royals.Pat&rsquo;s captain Doug Wickenheiser, a centerman who led the WHL in regular-season and post-season scoring, says he and his teammates know very little about the opposition.&ldquo;About all we know is that Peterborough is a tight, closechecking team. They&rsquo;re not going to score a lot of goals, but they&rsquo;re not going to have a lot of goals scored against them. And Quebec teams are always high-scoring. They never seem to be that great defensively. It&rsquo;s skating and scoring with them.&rdquo;The Pats were seeking to bring Saskatchewan&rsquo;s Queen City its fifth cup&mdash;the Pats won it in 1920, 1934 and 1974 and the Regina Monarchs grabbed it in 1928 with their potent offense.Five players&mdash;Wickenheiser, rookie center Ron Flockhart, defenseman Darren Veitch, left winger Brian Varga and rookie right winger Mike Blaisdell&mdash;pumped in a combined total of 292 goals this season.In other words, they accounted for 65.8 percent of the 429 goals the Pats scored over the course of the 72-game schedule.And, those five players man the Pats&rsquo; potent power play, a unit that scores on over 33 percent of its chances.Obviously then, Peterborough and Cornwall had their hands full checking the &lsquo;Big Five&rsquo;.The Pats, though, were a little suspect on detense. There was no doubt but that Veitch will more than carry his load, meaning he will play at least 40 minutes of every game.After that, it&rsquo;s up to the likes of Bud Langstrom, John McMillan and Mike Rainville, all of whom will have to rise to the occasion.Behind the defensemen is goaltender Bart Hunter, whose role with the club figured to be the key to the Pats successfully completing their Memorial Cup dream.Hunter, who joined the Pats as an over-age player from the camp of the National Hockey League&rsquo;s Washington Capitals, knows what Memorial Cup pressure is all about. A year ago, he joined the WHL champion Brandon Wheat Kings, from the Portland Winter Hawks, in time for the national championship. Hunter led Brandon into the final and was eventually named the top goaltender and the Most Valuable Player.This season, Hunter joined the Pats as an over-age player and while he did not have a spectacular regular season, the playoffs have been a different story.&ldquo;Bart has really come on,&rdquo; says Wickenheiser. &ldquo;He had a couple of questionable games&mdash;not really bad ones&mdash;but people started to get on his back. But, once we got to the big games he came through and showed what kind of goaltender he really is.&rdquo;The Pats&rsquo; Wickenheiser again led the scoring parade, as he had done during the regular season. The Regina captain finished the playoffs with 40 points, the third highest total ever achieved in WHL post season play. Linemates Bernie Federko, with 45, and Blair Chapman, with 43, now both playing with the St. Louis Blues in the NHL, held down the two top spots from their memorable playoff campaigns in 1976. Wickenheiser also led all players with 26 assists, while teammate Mike Blaisdell was the top sniper with 16 goals. Flockhart was the second top scorer in the playoffs with 34 points, while Veitch was the number one rearguard with 31.Neil Girard of Billings was the top season netminder with a goals against average of 2.43. Victoria&rsquo;s Grant Fuhr was second with a 2.84 average.Regina&rsquo;s Barry Ziegler recorded the second highest penalty total in league history. Ziegler&rsquo;s final mark of 145 minutes in 15 games is behind only Bob Gassoff&rsquo;s record of 152 minutes set in 1973 when he toiled for the Medicine Hat Tigers.The Pats were ultimately defeated in the Memorial Cup competition. For details, see page 29.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01353/4292597-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="570" height="603"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Varga plays left wing on the Pats&rsquo; power play, which scored on more than one-third of its chances.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Pats’ Big Five Packed Potent Power Play Punch

<div class="byline">BY HOWARD BERGER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01365/4292659-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">All three of the Centennial Cup finalists placed players on the tournament All Star team. Shown here with representative Ed O&rsquo;Doherty of the CAHA in the back row, from the left are Randy Moller of Red Deer, Paul Bernard of Charlottetown and Jim File of North York. Front from the left are goaltender Brian Ford of Red Deer, North York&rsquo;s Bill Coville and Douger Rigler also of Red Deer.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02280/4292652-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="1192" height="1291"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brent Sutter, left, captain of the Red Deer Rustlers, accepts the Abbott Cup from Chuck Farquharson, representative of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, at awards&rsquo; presentation following the Centennial Cup finals. Red Deer won Abbott award as Western Canada junior champions. (Photos by Jerry Hobbs)</figcaption></div>TORONTO&mdash;At the present time, the National Hockey League has three members of the Sutter family playing on its teams: There is Brian, who broke into the NHL in 1976, and who now is the captain of the St. Louis Blues; there is Duane, who was a major surprise for the New York Islanders, scoring 15 goals as a 19-year-old in his first NHL season; and there is Daryl, who began skating for the Chicago Black Hawks at the end of the regular season and the playoffs.Believe it or not, there are three more Sutters just waiting in the wings for their chance at the big time and one of them, 17-year-old Brent, may not have that much longer to wait&mdash;especially after the show he put on in the recently concluded Centennial Cup Tier II Junior A championships.Led by Brent&rsquo;s two goals, the Red Deer Rustlers of Red Deer, Alta., edged Toronto&rsquo;s North York Rangers 3-2 to win their second Centennial Cup in 12 years in a nationally televised game on May, 4 at York Centennial Arena. Sutter&rsquo;s younger twin brothers, Ron and Rick, were also standout performers for the Rustlers.A large contingent of NHL scouts were on hand to watch as Sutter, a 70-goal scorer during the regular season, won the most valuable player award for the tournament and received First Star honors in the championship game.The only thing that Sutter didn&rsquo;t win, in fact, was nationwide acclaim as the western zone&rsquo;s Tier II Junior A player of the year. That honor went to Bruce Campbell of North River, P.E.L, but Sutter wasn&rsquo;t fazed in the least, preferring instead to talk about the victory his team had just won.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been just a fabulous year and what a way to end it,&rdquo; Sutter exclaimed in the champagne-soaked Rustler dressing room following the verdict over Rangers. &ldquo;We really dug down this week and proved what I thought all along, that we are the best damned Tier II team in the country.&rdquo;The Rustlers finished the double round-robin tourney with a record of three wins and one loss. In this particular set-up, three teams&mdash;one representing the Atlantic zone, one the Central zone and another the Western zone of Canada&mdash;play one another twice each in a weeklong tournament. After the games are completed, the two clubs with the most points meet in the final.The Rangers finished second, with a record of two wins and two losses, and the Atlantic representative from Charlottetown P.E.I.&mdash;the Sherwood-Parkdale Metros&mdash;placed third and out of the running, with a 13 record.The Rustlers&rsquo; only loss occurred in their first game of the round-robin as North York held them scoreless for the first time this year with a 2-0 victory. Ranger goalie Jim Popovich was spectacular throughout that contest, keeping the eventual champions off the scoreboard with a continuous variety of near-impossible saves.But, Red Deer shifted into high gear the next night, downing Sherwood-Parkdale 6-3, and just building its momentum as the week progressed. The second meeting between the Rustlers and Rangers went into sudden-death overtime before Ron Pierce settled the issue, lifting the westerners to a 5-4 triumph. Sudden-death was required the next evening as well, and Sutter&rsquo;s early goal finally subdued a desperate Sherwood-Parkdale team that had to win by three goals to gain a berth in the championship game against New York.Shut out in the first two tournament games, Sutter responded with a three-goal effort in the North York overtime win and a sparkling four-goal performance in the Sherwood-Parkdale victory. His two goals in the championship contest enabled him to finish the week with nine, tying him for the tournament lead with Bill Coville, North York&rsquo;s superb center iceman.&ldquo;What can you say about that kid?&rdquo; said elated Red Deer coach John Chapman after the final game. &ldquo;Taking nothing away from Bruce Campbell (Player of the Year), I think Brent proved today that he is not only the best 17-year-old Junior player in the country, but the best junior player period.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s been playing hurt all week (suffering from a Charley horse) but he just kept pressing forward with the 150 per cent effort and leadership I find quite amazing for a kid his age.&rdquo;Red Sullivan, a former New York Ranger who now works for the NHL&rsquo;s Central Scouting bureau, places a &ldquo;can&rsquo;t-miss&rdquo; tab on Sutter.&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;ll go early in the draft this summer,&rdquo; Sullivan predicted. &ldquo;He may not be taken in the first round because of his age but he&rsquo;s way ahead of &lsquo;his time. The kid comes to play &bull; every game and exhibits the poise and leadership of a pro. Those type of players are not easy to find.&rdquo;Sutter&rsquo;s excellence sparked the Rustlers over a North York team possessed with the heart, desire and coaching leadership of a champion. The Rangers, however, discovered that it also takes a healthy proportion of depth and talent to win a national crown, two qualities the Albertans displayed continuously throughout the entire tournament.In Bill White, the Rangers had possibly the most intelligent Junior A coach in Canada, and in forwards Coville and John Ciotti, North York possessed a deadly offensive combination which connected for more than 320 scoring points in regular season and playoff action. But outside of industrious center Mike McCluskey, the Rangers received little or no offensive support from the remainder of the roster&mdash;and it killed them in the end.Red Deer coach Chapman placed his best checking line on the Coville-Ciotti unit in the final game, and although Ciotti connected for one of his team&rsquo;s two goals, the troika (with left winger Chris DeGeer) saw most of its effectiveness nullified.&ldquo;I guess that&rsquo;s all they really had to do,&rdquo; explained a dejected White after the game. &ldquo;It seemed that if the Coville-Ciotti line could be effectively checked, we had trouble compensating for it throughout the lineup. It&rsquo;s been that way pretty well all year, but our great attitude and will to win has pulled us through.&rdquo;Strangely enough, some of that attitude, which had stayed at an incredibly high level all season long, was missing from the dressing room on Centennial Cup day, according to the players. Part of the reason for the slight downer may have been White&rsquo;s choice of goaltender for the final game.Popovich, who had played so superbly earlier in the week, hit a dry spell in the latter part of the tournament and Rod Chypy-ha&mdash;a netminder who was picked up from the North Bay Trappers for the playoffs&mdash;received the nod from White. Although Chypyha performed strongly during the final game, it was obvious where the players&rsquo; sentiments rested.&ldquo;I thought there was a little inner dissention over the choice of goalkeeper,&rdquo; explained defenceman Jim File, who tallied the second, and final, Ranger goal.&rdquo; Popeye (Popovich) took us to where we were that day and I guess the guys felt he deserved a shot at the final. But, a lot of the players figured he (White) would choose Chypyha because he played more consistently during the week.&rdquo;McCluskey, who had 48 points in the 36 playoff games, was at a loss for words after it was all over. &ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t know what the hell happened,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t play with nearly the heart that got us here. If you can&rsquo;t get up for a championship game, there must be something wrong somewhere.&rdquo;The teams battled through a scoreless first period in the championship game. Sutter finally broke the ice at 5.20 of the middle frame when he knocked a goalmouth rebound past Chypyha on the powerplay with the Rangers&rsquo; Paul Catto sitting out a charging violation.The Rangers wasted little time, however, in tying the game as Ciotti spun around to beat Red Deer goalie Brian Ford through his legs at 7:24.But Sutter&rsquo;s second tally put the Rustlers up to stay. He beat McCluskey on a faceoff to the left of Chypyha, took a shot and directed his own rebound into the net. The killer, as far as North York was concerned, occurred when Bob Bedier beat Chypyha with a rising snap shot just 90 seconds away from the second intermission.&ldquo;Coming into the third period down by two, we knew it would be a real uphill battle and I think it discouraged us a bit,&rdquo; Coville said.A great defensive effort is what the Rustlers received. The club made just one mistake and it cost them a goal as File converted a smart set-up from defense mate Jeff Woollacott past Ford at the 8:20 mark. But Red Deer dumped the puck out of its own zone the rest of the game and the Rangers didn&rsquo;t counter with a serious scoring opportunity.In post-tournament all Star team selections, Red Deer placed Randy Moller, Doug Rigler and goaltender Brian Ford; North York put Bill Coville and Jim File on the team, and Paul Bernard represented Charlottetown.Howard Berger is a staff writer for the Etobicoke GUARDIAN in Toronto. &#9632;

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Sutters Help Red Deer Corral Centennial Cup

<div class="byline">BY DANNY YOUNG</div>LOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSLOUISVILLE HOCKEY STICKSCORNWALL&mdash;The amazing Cornwall Royals wrote quite a success story this season. Rebounding from a horrendous start, the Royals did not lose a home game after Christmas. And that impressive record was capped off with what really counts&mdash;a 5-3 victory to win the Quebec Major League championship.That victory was a perfect demonstration of why the Royals deserved to be champion. With their backs against the boards, the Royals put together the mixture of hard work, desire, and talent that made them untouchable at Cornwall throughout the second half of the season.Going into the series-winning game, the Royals led Sherbrooke three games to two, but the Beavers had the momentum with a commanding 10-1 win two nights earlier. When the Beavers dominated the first period of Game Six, it appeared that the party was over in Cornwall.After successfully killing a couple of Cornwall powerplays, the Beavers stormed their opponents and produced several scoring opportunities. Centers Serge Boisvert and Norm Aubin each scored to give Sherbrooke a 2-0 lead after the first session. Their 18-6 shots on goal advantage accurately described those first 20 minutes.In between periods, the Royals talked about what they should be doing in the second period that they hadn&rsquo;t in the first.&ldquo;I think we had the jitters,&rdquo; said winger Mark Crawford. &ldquo;We knew we had to hit and forecheck.&rdquo;&ldquo;We just told ourselves We can do it&rsquo;&rdquo;, added Rod Willard, who played superbly throughout the game. &ldquo;Nobody is going to beat us.&rdquo;The determination of the Royals in the dressing room, however, did not change the flow of the game immediately. Goalie Ron Scott had to make a number of difficult stops to keep the Royals in the game.Then, midway through the period, an excellent rush by Bobby Hull Jr., (son of the NHL superstar) though stopped by Sherbrooke goalie Corado Micalef, seemed to ignite the Royals. They pressed the Beavers for the remainder of the period and broke the ice with a powerplay goal by Crawford that gave back the Royals any confidence they had lost.&ldquo;We kept beating them down,&rdquo; said winger Mike Corrigan. &ldquo;They were all over us. We knew we had to storm them and we did.&rdquo;The Royals evened the score early in the third period when Corrigan put a rebound past Micalef, but the Beavers were not finished. With 8:24 left in regulation time, Bernard Gallant scored on a 30-foot wrist shot to put the Beavers in front and the fans in shock.The Royals responded to this goal like champions, with an extraordinary display of forechecking and digging in the corners that bottled up the Beavers.&ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t matter what the score was,&rdquo; said star defenseman Fred Arthur, a likely first round NHL draft choice. &ldquo;We wanted to win so bad. We just kept working and working and working. We went in and got them.&rdquo;The Royals scored the equalizer on a deflection by Gilles Crepeau with 4:39 on the clock. The crowd went absolutely wild.Then 49 seconds later, super rookie Dale Hawerchuk stole the show once again. Hawerchuk, who had been wearing a checker on his back all evening, picked up a loose puck 40 feet from the net, and fired the winning goal through a screen of players.&ldquo;The puck just came,&rdquo; described Hawerchuk. &ldquo;I took a look and bang! That was the greatest moment of my life.&rdquo;With just under four minutes left, the Beavers had plenty of time to even it up, but they couldn&rsquo;t get by Cornwall&rsquo;s forecheckers.Sherbrooke&rsquo;s best opportunity came with 18 seconds left. Louis Begin walked in on the corner of the Cornwall net and fired a low drive, but Scott made a great save. Hawerchuk picked up the rebound and cleared the puck off the boards. The puck glided into Sherbrooke&rsquo;s open net and the game and league championship belonged to the Royals.Those two goals gave Hawerchuk a total of 45 points in the playoffs, the second best performance in league history. Hawer chuk, who turned 17 in April, was awarded the Guy Lafleur trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.&rdquo;To beat Sherbrooke,&rdquo; said Hawerchuk, &ldquo;we had to give it every bit of heart we had. We just took it to them.&rdquo;&ldquo;Everything we&rsquo;ve accomplished this season,&rdquo; said Coach of the Year Doug Carpenter, &ldquo;was just through a lot of hard work, togetherness, unity, and enjoyment. We kept coming all season, from eighth to seventh to sixth to fifth&hellip;I think it&rsquo;s amazing.&rdquo;For that, the Royals can thank goalie Scott and also their outstanding fans. The Cornwall Civic Complex was packed with 3,991 enthusiastic supporters, and there would have been at least 4,000 or 5,000 more if the arena was bigger. Tickets were being scalped for as much as $50.00 apiece. What&rsquo;s all the fuss for? Well, as captain Dan Daoust put it: &ldquo;To us, this is the Stanley Cup.&rdquo;After winning the QMJHL championship, the Royals went on to win the coveted Memorial Cup. For details, see page 29. &#9632;

Unsinkable Royals Crowned Quebec Champions

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0033-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01330/4292690-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg"></div>PLAYER EQUIPMENTRINK EQUIPMENTPERSONALSFAN CLUBSOPPORTUNITIES OFFERED, WANTED<h2>PERSONALS</h2>WANTED: NHL and WHA team yearbooks from mid-1970&rsquo;s through 1979/80 season. Write: B. L. Carter 5105 W. Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia 23226.FOR SALE: 1948-49, 1949-50 Toronto Maple Leaf hockey programs $7.00 each. Programs are in excellent condition. Write to: Art Rutledge, 201 Sher-bourne Street, Apt. 1803, Toronto, Ontario M5A 3X2.PRO JERSEYS: I am buying, selling and trading pro worn NHL and WHA hockey jerseys from all teams past and present. Let me know what you have, and what you need. I&rsquo;ll accept any jersey in any condition. Write to: Russell Vincent, P.O. Box 490344, College Park, Georgia 30349.WANTED: Game worn WHA-NHL hockey jerseys. Buying, selling trading-Would like to hear from collectors-trainers and players. Also interested in mint hockey cards&mdash;from the mid-fifties to late sixties. Top prices paid for quality items. Write; Richard Curry, 14 Five Oaks, Saginaw, Mich. 48603.FOR SALE: Hockey collection. Thousands of glossy 8x10 photos 1895 to 1980. Many rare. Also baseball collection. Write: Marshall Semenchuk, Box 396, Vermilion, Alberta TOB 4M0 or call (402) 853-5839.FOR SALE: Goalie Equipment: Kenesky pads, 32 inch. Cooper GM-12 gloves. Excellent condition. Best offer. Gary Goldblatt, 932B East Stewart Street, Dayton, Ohio 45410 (513) 256-4931.<h2>OPPORTUNITIES</h2>WANTED: Position sought by experienced general manager and coach. Much experience in setting up new teams in new areas. Has good promotional background. Has been general manager and coach in minor hockey, college hockey, senior and semi-pro. For further information write to: Jim Kirwan, 5219 Sunderland, Boise, Idaho 83704.WANTED; Senior caliber hockey players to play on an independent senior team. Please send statistics and work resume to: Boise Blades Hockey Club, 1771 Wildwood, Boise, Idaho 83704.WANTED: Play-by-play position, preferably in U.S.A. Impressive background. Tapes and resumes available now. Call Pete Curtis (604) 860-8600 day, (604) 860-5549 night. #332-495 All Star Court, Kelowna, B.C.WANTED: Good Hockey Player, Italian descent, 19-27 years old to play in Italy. Write to: Angelo Bumbacco, Bumbacco Sports Centre, 208 Queen Street, Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada.WANTED: Hockey players to play Prov. &ldquo;A&rdquo; Tier II. Write to: Larry Bone, 345 Millard Avenue, Newmarket, Ontario. L3Y 1Z6.<h2>PLAYER EQUIPMENT</h2>FOR SALE: Three sets of jerseys and sox. Men&rsquo;s large and x-large. Twenty uniforms to each set. Three separate basic colors&mdash;Maroon, Gold and White. Contact Bob Meickle after 7:30 p.m. (201 &gt;542-2590WANTED: New York Rangers authentic jersey. Will pay gooc price if in good condition. State condition and amount desired Mike Tchynski, 5323 Houck Drive, Niagara Falls, Ontario L2E 1S2. &#9632;

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CLASSIFIED

<h2>SERIES &lsquo;M&rsquo;</h2><h3>Tue. April 29 MINNESOTA 6, PHILADELPHIA 5</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01359/4292826-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="540" height="776"></div><h3>Thu. May 1 MINNESOTA 0, PHILADELPHIA 7</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02293/4292819-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="540" height="636"></div><h3>Sat. May 3 PHILADELPHIA 5, MINNESOTA 3</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03212/4292812-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="538" height="751"></div><h3>Tue. May 4 PHILADELPHIA 3, MINNESOTA 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04133/4292805-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="535" height="531"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0593/4292798-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="526" height="134"></div><h3>Thurs., May 8 MINNESOTA 3, PHILADELPHIA 7</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0668/4292791-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="543" height="785"></div><h2>SERIES &lsquo;N&rsquo;</h2><h3>Tue. April 29 ISLANDERS 4, BUFFALO 1</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0760/4292784-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="476" height="55"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0853/4292777-1-eng-US/f0034-082.jpg" title="f0034-08" width="536" height="487"></div><h3>Thu. May 1 ISLANDERS 2, BUFFALO!</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-0943/4292770-1-eng-US/f0034-092.jpg" title="f0034-09" width="538" height="720"></div><h3>Sat. May 3 BUFFALO 4, ISLANDERS 7</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1041/4292763-1-eng-US/f0034-102.jpg" title="f0034-10" width="526" height="103"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1136/4292756-1-eng-US/f0034-112.jpg" title="f0034-11" width="541" height="635"></div><h3>Tue. May 4 BUFFALO 7, ISLANDERS 4</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1234/4292749-1-eng-US/f0034-122.jpg" title="f0034-12" width="544" height="658"></div><h3>Thurs., May 8 ISLANDERS 0, BUFFALO 2</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1328/4292742-1-eng-US/f0034-132.jpg" title="f0034-13" width="545" height="603"></div><h3>Sat. May 10 BUFFALO 2, ISLANDERS 5</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1425/4292735-1-eng-US/f0034-142.jpg" title="f0034-14" width="542" height="739"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1524/4292728-1-eng-US/f0034-152.jpg" title="f0034-15" width="1183" height="1767"><figcaption class="caption-body">Buffalo&rsquo;s Gilbert Perreault turned in a brilliant playoff performance for the vanquished Sabres. He scored 10 goals and assisted on 11 others for 21 points in 14 games.</figcaption></div><h3>PLAYOFF STANDINGS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1624/4292721-1-eng-US/f0034-162.jpg" title="f0034-16" width="539" height="432"></div> &#9632;

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NATIONAL LEAGUE SUMMARIES

<h2>POINT LEADERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1818/4292909-1-eng-US/f0034-182.jpg" title="f0034-18" width="533" height="227"></div><h2>MOST GOALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-1917/4292902-1-eng-US/f0034-192.jpg" title="f0034-19" width="527" height="195"></div><h2>MOST ASSISTS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-2016/4292895-1-eng-US/f0034-202.jpg" title="f0034-20" width="532" height="260"></div><h2>POWER PLAY GOALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-2115/4292888-1-eng-US/f0034-212.jpg" title="f0034-21" width="529" height="258"></div> &#9632;

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NHL Leaders For 1979-80

BUFFALO&mdash;Dudley 3, Savard 1, Perreault 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, McKegnev 2, 3, Smith 3, 4, 5, Ruff t, Dunn 2, Luce 3, Van Boxmeer 3.ISLANDERS&mdash;Bourne 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Bossy 4, 5, 6, Tonelli 5, 4, 7, Sutter 2, Merrick 2, Goring 3, 4, Nystrom 4, 5, 6, Lorimer 1, Trottier 7, 8, Henning 2.MINNESOTA&mdash;Christoff 7, 8, Eaves 2, Shymr 2, McCarthy 5, Payne 6, 7, MacAdam 7, Young 2, Younghans 2, Polich 2, Hartsburg 3, Flockhart 1.PHILADELPHIA&mdash;HUI 2, 3, Dailev 2, Clarke 3, 4, 5, Linseman 2, 3, Propp 2, Gorence 2, Bridgman 1, Holmgren 5, 6, Barber 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, Leach 5, 4, 7, 8, MacLeish 4.OVERTIME WINNERS&mdash;Nystrom (Islanders). &#9632;

PLAYOFF SCORERS THIS WEEK

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01339/4292964-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0035-01

OMJHL All Star Teams

<h2>Preliminary Round</h2>SERIES&lsquo;A&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02274/4293093-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="532" height="121"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. April 8Edmonton 3 at Philadelphia 4Wed. April 9Edmonton 1 at Philadelphia 5Fri. April 11Philadelphia 3 at Edmonton 2<h2>SERIES&lsquo;B&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03204/4293086-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="526" height="99"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. April 8Vancouver 1 at Buffalo 2Wed. April 9Vancouver 0 at Buffalo 6Fri. April 11Buffalo 4 at Vancouver 5Sat. April 12Buffalo 3 at Vancouver 1<h2>SERIES&lsquo;C&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04163/4293079-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="525" height="101"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. April 8Hartford 1 at Montreal 6 Wed. April 9Hartford 4 at Montreal 8 Fri. April 11Montreal 4 at Hartford 3<h2>SERIES&lsquo;D&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05126/4293072-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="529" height="99"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. April 8Pittsburgh 4 at Boston 2Thu. April 10Pittsburgh 1 at Boston 4Sat. April 12Boston 1 at Pittsburgh 4Sun. April 13Boston 8 at Pittsburgh 3Mon. April 14Pittsburgh 2 at Boston 6<h2>SERIES&lsquo;E&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06107/4293065-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="525" height="100"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. April 8Los Angeles 1 at Islanders 8Wed. April 9Los Angeles 6 at Islanders 3Fri. APRIL 11Islanders 4 at Los Angeles 3Sat. April 12Islanders 6 at Los Angeles 0<h2>SERIES&lsquo;F&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0798/4293058-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="530" height="101"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. April 8Toronto 3 at Minnesota 6Wed. April 9Toronto 2 at Minnesota 7Fri. April 11Minnesota 4 at Toronto 3<h2>SERIES&lsquo;G&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0880/4293051-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="527" height="103"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. April 8St. Louis 2 at Chicago 3Wed. April 9St. Louis 1 at Chicago 5Fri. April 11Chicago 4 at St. Louis 1<h2>SERIES&lsquo;H&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-0976/4293044-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="525" height="100"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tue. April 8Atlanta 1 at Rangers 2 Wed. April 9Atlanta 1 at Rangers 5 Fri. April 11Rangers 2 at Atlanta 4 Sat. April 12Rangers 5 at Atlanta 2<h2>Quarter-Finals</h2>SERIES&lsquo;I&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1066/4293037-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="526" height="125"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. April 16Rangers 1 at Philadelphia 2Thu. April 17Rangers 1 at Philadelphia 4Sat. April 19Philadelphia 3 at Rangers 0Sun. April 20Philadelphia 2 at Rangers 4Tue. April 22Rangers 1 at Philadelphia 3<h2>SERIES&lsquo;J&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1161/4293030-1-eng-US/f0035-112.jpg" title="f0035-11" width="523" height="98"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. April 16Chicago 0 at Buffalo 5Thu. April 17Chicago 4 at Buffalo 6Sat. April 19Buffalo 2 at Chicago 1Sun. April 20Buffalo 3 at Chicago 2<h2>SERIES&lsquo;K&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1252/4293023-1-eng-US/f0035-122.jpg" title="f0035-12" width="521" height="79"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1346/4293016-1-eng-US/f0035-132.jpg" title="f0035-13" width="525" height="57"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. April 16Minnesota 3 at Montreal 0Thu. April 17Minnesota 4 at Montreal 1Sat. April 19Montreal 5 at Minnesota 0Sun. April 20Montreal 5 at Minnesota 1Tue. April 22Minnesota 2 at Montreal 6Thu. April 24Montreal 2 at Minnesota 5Sun. April 27Minnesota 3 at Montreal 2<h2>SERIES L</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1435/4293009-1-eng-US/f0035-142.jpg" title="f0035-14" width="522" height="101"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. April 16Islanders 2 at Boston 1Thu. April 17Islanders 5 at Boston 4Sat. April 19Boston 3 at Islanders 5Mon. April 21Boston 4 at Islanders 3Tue. April 22Islanders 4 at Boston 2<h2>Semi-Finals</h2>SERIES&rsquo;M&rsquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1531/4293002-1-eng-US/f0035-152.jpg" title="f0035-15" width="533" height="123"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tues., April 29Minnesota 6 at Philadelphia 5Thurs., May 1Minnesota 0 at Philadelphia 7Sun., May 4Philadelphia 5 at Minnesota 3Tues., May 6Philadelphia 3, at Minnesota 2Thurs., May 8Minnesota 3 at Philadelphia 7<h2>SERIES&rsquo;N&rsquo;</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1629/4292995-1-eng-US/f0035-162.jpg" title="f0035-16" width="527" height="102"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Tues., April 29Islanders 4 at Buffalo 1Thurs., May 1Islanders 2 at Buffalo 1Sat., May 3Buffalo 4 at Islanders 7Tues., May 6Buffalo 7 at Islanders 4Thurs., May 8Islanders 0 at Buffalo 2Sat., May 10Buffalo 2 at Islanders 5 &#9632;

f0035-02

Stanley Cup Scoreboard

<h2>AMERICAN LEAGUE</h2><h3>PLAYOFF GAMES</h3>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01320/4293264-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="520" height="124"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Fri. May 9Hershey 5 at New Brunswick 3Sat. May 10Hershey 5 at New Brunswick 4<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Mon. May 12New Brunswick at HersheyWed. May 14New Brunswick at HersheyFri. May 16Hershey at New BrunswickSat. May 17New Brunswick at HersheyMon. May 19Hershey at New Brunswick<h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02241/4293257-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="509" height="104"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Mon. April 21Hershey 5 at New Haven 3Wed. April 23New Haven 3 at Hershey 7Fri. April 25Hershey 3 at New Haven 9Sat. April 26New Haven 3 at Hershey 1Sun. April 27Hershey 5 at New Haven 4Wed. April 29<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03177/4293250-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="510" height="122"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed., April 23Maine 2 at New Brunswick 3Mon., April 28New Brunswick 3 at Maine 2Wed., April 30Maine 6 at New Brunswick 2Sat., May 3 New Brunswick 5 at Maine 7Sun., May 4Maine 2 at New Brunswick 5Tues., May 6New Brunswick 3 at Maine 2<h3>Quarter-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04108/4293243-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="531" height="457"></div><h3>LEADING PLAYOFF SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0574/4293236-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="514" height="264"></div><h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2>PLAYOFF GAMESFinals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0656/4293229-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="509" height="127"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Fri., April 25Fort Worth 4 at Salt Lake 5Sat., April 26Fort Worth 3 at Salt Lake 5Wed., April 30Salt Lake 4 at Fort Worth 7Fri., May 2Salt Lake 3 at Fort Worth 4Sat., May 3Fort Worth 1 at Salt Lake 7Wed., May 7Salt Lake 2 at Fort Worth 3Thurs., May 8Fort Worth 1 at Salt Lake 2<h2>semi-Finals</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0752/4293222-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="504" height="122"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0847/4293215-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="526" height="104"></div><h2>Quarter-Finals</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0941/4293208-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg" title="f0036-09" width="537" height="225"></div><h3>LEADING PLAYOFF SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1038/4293201-1-eng-US/f0036-102.jpg" title="f0036-10" width="535" height="288"></div><h2>INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE</h2>PLAYOFF GAMESFinals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1135/4293194-1-eng-US/f0036-112.jpg" title="f0036-11" width="527" height="125"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed., May 7Fort Wayne 1 at Kalamazoo 6Fri., May 9Kalamazoo 2 at Fort Wayne 6Sat., May 10Fort Wayne 5 at Kalamazoo 3<h3>GAMES TO COME</h3>Wed., May 14Kalamazoo at Fort WayneFri., Ma 16Fort Wayne at KalamazooSat., May 17Kalamazoo at Fort WayneMon., May 19Fort Wayne at Kalamazoo<h2>Semi-Finals</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1231/4293187-1-eng-US/f0036-122.jpg" title="f0036-12" width="508" height="103"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Fri. April 25Port Huron 2 at Kalamazoo 3Sat. April 26Kalamazoo 4 at Port Huron 5Sun. April 27Port Huron 3 at Kalamazoo 4Wed., April 30Kalamazoo 3 at Port Huron 2Fri., May 2Port Huron 8 at Kalamazoo 6Sat., May 3Kalamazoo 3 at Port Huron 1<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1328/4293180-1-eng-US/f0036-132.jpg" title="f0036-13" width="511" height="126"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Wed. April 23Fort Wayne 4 at Saginaw 3Sat. April 26Fort Wayne 1 at Saginaw 4Wed., April 30Saginaw 4 at Fort Wayne 6Sat., May 3Saginaw 3 at Fort Wayne 6Sun., May 4Fort Wayne 3 at Saginaw 2<h2>QUARTER FINALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1424/4293173-1-eng-US/f0036-142.jpg" title="f0036-14" width="522" height="124"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Sat. April 12Flint 3 at Port Huron 6Sun. April 13Port Huron 3 at Flint 8Wed. April 16Flint 3 at Port Huron 4Fri. April 18Port Huron 3 at Flint 2Sat. April 19Flint 2 at Port Huron 3<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1524/4293166-1-eng-US/f0036-152.jpg" title="f0036-15" width="527" height="125"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Sat. April 12Milwaukee 4 at Saginaw 6Sun. April 13Milwaukee 1 at Saginaw 5<h3>LEADING PLAYOF SCORERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1622/4293159-1-eng-US/f0036-162.jpg" title="f0036-16" width="539" height="270"></div><h2>EASTERN LEAGUE</h2>(Final Standings)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1719/4293152-1-eng-US/f0036-172.jpg" title="f0036-17" width="527" height="175"></div><h3>FINAL SCORING LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1819/4293145-1-eng-US/f0036-182.jpg" title="f0036-18" width="532" height="269"></div><h2>PLAYOFF GAMES</h2>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-1918/4293138-1-eng-US/f0036-192.jpg" title="f0036-19" width="523" height="100"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Sun. April 13Baltimore 5 at Erie yMon. April 14Baltimore 3 at Erie 8Wed. April 16Erie 2 at Baltimore 3Thu. April 17Erie 4 at Baltimore 2Sat. April 19Baltimore 4 at Erie 5<h2>Semi-Finals</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2017/4293131-1-eng-US/f0036-202.jpg" title="f0036-20" width="530" height="277"></div><h3>FINAL PLAYOFF LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2116/4293124-1-eng-US/f0036-212.jpg" title="f0036-21" width="513" height="275"></div> &#9632;

f0036-01

MINOR SCOREBOARD

<h2>MEMORIAL CUP Round-Robin Tournament</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2215/4293421-1-eng-US/f0036-222.jpg" title="f0036-22" width="511" height="102"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Sun., May 4Peterborough 5, Regina 4Mon., May 5Cornwall 5, Regina 3Tues., May 6Peterborough 8, Cornwall 6Wed., May 7Peterborough 4, Regina3Thurs., May 8Regina 11, Cornwall 2Fri., May 9Cornwall 5, Peterborough 4<h2>ONTARIO MAJOR LEAGUE</h2>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2314/4293414-1-eng-US/f0036-232.jpg" title="f0036-23" width="524" height="128"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Sun. April 20Windsor 2 at Peterborough 5Tue. April 22Peterborough 3 at Windsor 2Thu. April 24Windsor 1 at Peterborough 3Sat. April 26Peterborough 6 at Windsor 3<h3>FINAL PLAYOFF LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2414/4293407-1-eng-US/f0036-242.jpg" title="f0036-24" width="530" height="268"></div><h3>Semi-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2511/4293400-1-eng-US/f0036-252.jpg" title="f0036-25" width="534" height="226"></div><h3>Quarter-Finals</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-269/4293393-1-eng-US/f0036-262.jpg" title="f0036-26" width="533" height="454"></div><h2>WESTERN LEAGUE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-279/4293386-1-eng-US/f0036-272.jpg" title="f0036-27" width="527" height="114"></div><h2>Semi-Finals</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-289/4293379-1-eng-US/f0036-282.jpg" title="f0036-28" width="527" height="212"></div><h2>FINAL PLAYOFF LEADERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-298/4293372-1-eng-US/f0036-292.jpg" title="f0036-29" width="531" height="243"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-307/4293365-1-eng-US/f0036-302.jpg" title="f0036-30" width="539" height="461"></div><h2>QUEBEC MAJOR LEAGUE</h2>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-316/4293358-1-eng-US/f0036-312.jpg" title="f0036-31" width="529" height="102"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Fri. April 18Cornwall 5 at Sherbrooke 4Sun. April 20Sherbrooke 2 at Cornwall 3Wed., April 23Cornwall 3 at Sherbrooke 10Fri., April 25Sherbrooke 2 at Cornwall 7Sun., April 27Cornwall 1 at Sherbrooke 10Wed. April 30Sherbrooke 3 at Cornwall 5<h3>FINAL PLAYOFF LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-325/4293351-1-eng-US/f0036-322.jpg" title="f0036-32" width="534" height="409"></div><h2>Semi-Finals</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-334/4293344-1-eng-US/f0036-332.jpg" title="f0036-33" width="528" height="123"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Fri. April 4Montreal 3 at Sherbrooke 8Sun. April 6Sherbrooke 3 at Montreal 4Tue. April 8Montreal 1 at Sherbrooke 11Thurs. April 10Sherbrooke 10 at Montreal 5Fri. April 11Montreal 4 at Sherbrooke 10<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-343/4293337-1-eng-US/f0036-342.jpg" title="f0036-34" width="528" height="101"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Sat. April 5Chicoutimi 4 at Cornwall 5Mon. April 7Chicoutimi 2 at Cornwall 8Wed. April 9Cornwall 5 at Chicoutimi 9Fri. April 11Cornwall 5 at Chicoutimi 4Sun. April 13Chicoutimi 3 at Cornwall 7<h2>Quarter-Finals</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-35/4293330-1-eng-US/f0036-352.jpg" title="f0036-35" width="534" height="463"></div><h2>CENTENNIAL CUP</h2>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-36/4293323-1-eng-US/f0036-362.jpg" title="f0036-36" width="527" height="125"></div><h2>Preliminary Round-Robin</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-37/4293316-1-eng-US/f0036-372.jpg" title="f0036-37" width="528" height="149"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Charlottetown 7, North York 6North York 2, Red Deer 0Red Deer 6, Charlottetown 3North York 4, Charlottetown 3Red Deer S, North York 4Red Deer 7, Charlottetown 6<h2>HARDY CUP</h2>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-38/4293309-1-eng-US/f0036-382.jpg" title="f0036-38" width="526" height="105"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>Burnaby 6, Fredericton 5Bumaby 7, Fredericton 5Burnaby 4, Fredericton 1<h2>NEW ENGLAND JUNIOR</h2>Finals<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-39/4293302-1-eng-US/f0036-392.jpg" title="f0036-39" width="529" height="126"></div><h3>GAMES COMPLETED</h3>South Shore 7, Fitchburg 3South Shore 9, Fitchburg 5Fitchburg 8, South Shore 7Fitchburg 4, South Shore 3South Shore 8, Fitchburg 1South Shore 5, Fitchburg 2<h3>FINAL PLAYOFF LEADERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-40/4293295-1-eng-US/f0036-402.jpg" title="f0036-40" width="533" height="270"></div> &#9632;

f0036-22

AMATEUR SCOREBOARD

<div class="byline">BY VIRG FOSS</div>The Western Collegiate Hockey Association provided THE HOCKEY NEWS with both recipients for its awards to the College Player and Coach of the Year for 1979-80.North Dakota&rsquo;s Mark Taylor, who was described by his coach as, &ldquo;simply the best college player in the country&rdquo; has been named as the Player of the Year after leading North Dakota to the NCAA championship and shattering a bundle of school scoring records in the process. He succeeds exWisconsin and Olympic Team standout Mark Johnson, recipient of the first Player of the Year award last season.Following in the footsteps of the legendary Herb Brooks at the University of Minnesota was no job for just anyone. But Brooks&rsquo; successor, Brad Buetow, proved to be more than just &ldquo;anyone&rdquo; in his first year as hockey coach at Minnesota, leading the Gophers to a 26-15-1 record and thus earning honors as this year&rsquo;s College Coach of the Year, succeeding last year&rsquo;s winner, George Crowe of Dartmouth.Here are some details on the accomplishments of each of the winners:Taylor&rsquo;s credentials are impressive. The grandson of late Hockey Hall of Famer Frederic (Cyclone) Taylor, Mark finished his career as the alltime leading scorer in North Dakota history (265 points) after leading the team in scoring for the second straight year.He finished with 92 points (33 goals, 59 assists) as North Dakota posted a 31-8-1 record, the best in school history. Taylor, who played wing his first three years at UND and center this season, was a major reason why the Sioux won back-to-back Western Collegiate Hockey Association titles.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no question about it. He&rsquo;s the premium player in the country,&rdquo; said Taylor&rsquo;s coach, Gino Gasparini. &ldquo;He played on a very team-oriented unit, but he still stood out as a star. He was a tremendous leader, both on and off the ice.&rdquo;The pros think so too. The 5-11, 185-pounder from Vancouver recently signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, who held his draft rights.A broken collarbone early in the championship game against Northern Michigan was the only dark spot in Taylor&rsquo;s bright career. Even after he broke the collarbone, he stayed on the ice long enough to set up North Dakota&rsquo;s first goal in a 5-2 victory over Northern Michigan.Taylor was named to every All-WCHA and AllAmerican team after his brilliant season. He finished as the second leading scorer in the nation, three points behind Northern Michigan&rsquo;s Steve Bozek.Taylor was much more than a scorer. He teamed with Doug Small to give the Sioux the best penaltykilling tandem in the country. Between them, they accounted for 12 shorthanded goals, a UND record.Taylor got the nomination as Player of the Year over Minnesota&rsquo;s Tim Harrer, the nation&rsquo;s top goal scorer, who, lacking Taylor&rsquo;s fluid skating ability, made up for it with a tremendous shot.Taylor had the respect of the opposition, too. Said Minnesota coach Brad Buetow: &ldquo;Taylor may be the best all-around player in the country.&rdquo;His selection as Player of the Year proves it.Buetow made the best of a trying year. He was the interim coach only and he knew Brooks had the option of coming back to coach the Gophers after the Olympic Games.Brooks took many of the big names with him from Minnesota to the Olympic team, like Steve Christoff, Eric Strobel, Mike Ramsey, Rob McClanahan and Neal Broten, all of whom played key roles in the incredible goal medal victory by the U.S. Olympic team.Buetow took what was left and guided the Gophers to a second-place finish in the WCHA, keeping them in the title race until the last two weeks of the season, when North Dakota salted away the title, as expected.Minnesota came within an eyelash of making its second straight trip to the Nationals and getting the opportunity to defend its national championship.The Gophers bad a goal disallowed that the officials didn&rsquo;t see go through the net and Northern Michigan eliminated Minnesota 4-3 in a special playoff game. Northern Michigan then went on to finish second to North Dakota in the nationals.Much of the credit for Minnesota&rsquo;s success must go to Buetow, who took a collection of transfers, castoffs, rookies, and veterans not good enough for the Olympic team and led them to the brink of qualifying for the NCAA&rsquo;s for the second straight year.Buetow&rsquo;s worth was recognized by Minnesota, too. When Brooks elected not to return to college coaching, Buetow was named as the full-time head coach when the season ended.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01279/4293459-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="964" height="1203"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Taylor; College Player of the Year</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02196/4293452-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="956" height="1203"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brad Buetow: College Coach of the Year</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Taylor, Buetow Win Hockey News College Awards

COLUMBUS&mdash;Miami University of Ohio has been accepted as a full participating member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association for the 1980-81 season.Miami joins current CCHA members Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior, Northern Michigan, Ohio State and Western Michigan, but the Redskins will be unable to compete for championships or playoffs until the 1981-82 season due to a phase-in of schedules, according to commissioner Fred Jacoby.&ldquo;Miami&rsquo;s hockey program has experienced tremendous growth in recent years and enthusiasm on the campus has been at a high pitch since Miami played its first campus hockey game in 1976,&rdquo; Jacoby said.During the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons, Miami&rsquo;s hockey program had only a club standing. The Redskins attained varsity status in 1978-79 and recorded a 22-14-1 mark. This season as an independent, Miami had a 2313-2 record.Miami has had several of the current CCHA members on its hockey schedule, so the competition will not be unfamiliar to the spectators in the university&rsquo;s multipurpose ice arena constructed in 1975-76.The CCHA has been in existence since 1973 and league members are well respected nationally. Northern Michigan advanced to the national finals this past season, finishing second in the nation. In 1978, Bowling Green was the number three team in the nation. &#9632;

Miami Of Ohio Joins CCHA For Next Season

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01333/4293549-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02261/4293542-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="1448" height="853"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03197/4293535-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="1454" height="955"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04137/4293528-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="1451" height="571"></div><h2>Fun In The Las Vegas Sun</h2>Each year, the Alan King-Caesars Palace&rsquo; Tennis Classic in Las Vegas gives celebrities and athletes a great opportunity to get together for a couple of days of fun and, of course, tennis. This year was no exception, as the pictures above certainly attest. In the upper left hand comer, that&rsquo;s U.S. Olympic and, more recently, Atlanta Flames&rsquo; goaltender Jim Craig being interviewed by none other than Mr. Kina himself. Below Jim and Alan, that&rsquo;s the New York Rangers&rsquo; Ron Duguay (right) chatting with HOCKEY NEWS marketing vice president Bill Hitzig. In the group shot immediately above, from left to right, are Rupert Hitzig, King&rsquo;s business partner, Duguay, and tennis players John McEnroe and Spencer Segura. In the shot at the top, Duguay and his doubles partner, Raul Ramirez, both seem poised for action. But when someone asked Ramirez which stroke of his partner&rsquo;s he thought was the strongest, Raul replied, &ldquo;His slapshot.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05101/4293521-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="1128" height="1257"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo by Sol Beniamin)</figcaption></div><h2>Fond Farewell To Stan The Man</h2>When Stan Mikita announced his retirement from hockey after playing for three decades with the Chicago Black Hawks, the Hawks threw a party for the man team president Bill Wirtz called &ldquo;the greatest ever to wear a Black Hawk uniform.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s Stan and his lovely wife Jill preparing to cut into the cake.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-0679/4293514-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="1776" height="1292"></div><h2>A Changing Of The Guard</h2>Just prior to the start of the 1979-80 season, Bob Casey (right) left the National Hockey League its public relations director and joined the Hartford Whalers to serve them in the And just prior to the end of the 1979-80 season, the NHL announced that Rodger Gottlieb (left) would be the league&rsquo;s new director of media relations. The two appeared at a recent NHL junction and Bruce Bennett, our omnipresent photographer, was right there to record it all for posterity. &#9632;

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HOCKEY PEOPLE

<div class="byline">BY TOM HENSHAW</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01311/4293580-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">This year was a turbulent one for Peter McNab and the Bruins and McNab wonders if the team wasn&rsquo;t still affected by last year&rsquo;s playoff loss.</figcaption></div>BOSTON&mdash;The only thing that Peter McNab finds worth remembering about the 1979-80 season is the birth of his little daughter, the first child for him and his wife, Diana.&ldquo;That was the most positive note in the whole season,&rdquo; he said.It was a season in which McNab lost his favorite coach, Don Cherry, went into the stands to tussle with fans in New York, got suspended for six games, got sued for a share of $7 million, lost another coach, Fred Creighton, and finally saw his Bruins eliminated by the Islanders in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.&ldquo;It was a long, trying season, especially for me,&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;First there was Don going and me trying to get used to a new coach. Then there were all the injuries to key people. Then there was the Schmautzie thing. That was tough.&rdquo;Bobby Schmautz, a teammate for three years, was openly critical of Creighton&rsquo;s coaching early in December and was dealt off to the Edmonton Oilers for his pains.&ldquo;Schmautzie was speaking up for us,&rdquo; said McNab. &ldquo;He was saying what a lot of us felt and some of us didn&rsquo;t have the courage, I guess, to speak up on our own and he ended up being the fall guy. That was too bad.&ldquo;After that there was New York and 1 get suspended and sued and then things go badly and Freddie gets fired. There were so many things that never happened to me before.&ldquo;Ever since I&rsquo;ve been in Boston I had the same coach from beginning to end. I&rsquo;ve never been suspended. I&rsquo;ve never left the ice to go into the crowd. I&rsquo;ve never been sued. My wife never had a baby. There were so many things.&ldquo;It got so that hockey was secondary to a lot of things for the first time. There were times when I wondered if I was getting away from my priorities. Hockey&rsquo;s got to be your No. 1 priority when you&rsquo;re playing at such a high level and with such a competitive team.&rdquo;It was coach and general manager Harry Sinden who helped him to reorder those priorities.&ldquo;I remember,&rsquo;&rdquo; said McNab, &ldquo;when Harry came in and he said, &lsquo;You can go home and you can fight with your wife, you can kick your dog but you just can&rsquo;t let your teammates down. You don&rsquo;t have that right.&rsquo;&ldquo;I think that one line helped to set me straight. I was able to push all the other things into the background. I was even able to forget about the incident in New York.&ldquo;New York really did bother me a great deal. It&rsquo;s not something I took lightly, someone could have been hurt. It could have been a little kid. There were a lot of things I had to think about, to sort out.&rdquo;McNab is one of several players who trace the Bruins&rsquo; problems in 1979-80 back to the 1979 playoffs, when they were eliminated by Montreal after leading the Canadiens by a goal with only a minute and a half left in the seventh game. Then there was that penalty for too many men on the ice, the Habs tied it up and won in overtime.&ldquo;We thought we had everything, and then to be crushed like that,&rdquo; said McNab. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anyone knows how devastating that was to the team. They say that kind of thing can be erased over the course of a summer but I don&rsquo;t think it can be erased from the minds of any of us.&ldquo;I wonder sometimes if that didn&rsquo;t dull the emotions of the whole team a little bit, because this is a team that plays and wins on emotions.&rdquo; &#9632;

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May 23, 1980

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